Disney World With Family

Vacation began on Friday July 10th when we took the dogs to the vet and loaded our things up in the car. We didn't leave until a little before 5 and we drove to Advance to Billy and Pat's house. It was a great time but we were already tired. We went to bed seriously at like 8:30-9:00 so that we could get up at 2 in the morning. We successfully woke up at 2 and I took a shower and got ready for the drive. Josh had gotten up and made coffee so that he could function for the day if he was getting up that early. He needs his coffee as do Billy and Pat. I just can't bring myself to drink the coffee. I don't know why. I need to probably pick up that hobby in the future though.

We set out on the road. It was dark and of course I fell right to sleep. Josh was in the front with Billy so that he could navigate us there of course. Everyone was excited. We stopped in Columbia for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and it was of course good and especially with no crowd. Did you know that Cracker Barrel opens at 6 in the morning? I had no idea! After this we set out on our way again and stopped at Chick-fil-a for lunch in Georgia. We arrived at the resort in Orlando about 3. Our rooms weren't ready yet so we went to wal-mart which conveniently was located almost next door. We got our groceries for the week so that we wouldn't have to eat our breakfast or lunches out every single day of the week. That could get old really fast. After this our rooms were ready and went back to the resort and checked in. Josh and I were in 402-202C and Billy and Pat were in 203. These suites were really nice. We had a 1 bedroom but it had a big living room, kitchen, and kitchen table along with the bedroom and bathroom. We immediately put our things out and made ourselves at home. That night we went out searching for dinner and ended up at Logan's Steakhouse. It was so so food! Our waitress was a bit overaged and we thought that anything could happen with her at any moment. We decided that we would go to Animal Kingdom/MGM the next day.

Sunday we set out for Animal Kingdom. I love this park because there are so many animals around that you really as if you are in Asia or Africa. The Safari was my favorite. I like how you are in a safari bus and you are going through the wild right along with the lions, cheetahs, hippos, alligators, etc. It was so cool! Josh had never been on it before and he thought that it rocked also. I was glad that he enjoyed it. We went back to the hotel for some lunch and then we went to MGM. Of course as you know Rock 'n Roller Coaster is my favorite ride. It is so much fun and we actually got Pat to ride it too. Some nice family gave us a fastpass so that we didn't have to wait in the long line. We would have had to wait like an hour and a half if that family had not been so nice to give us those. We rode Tower of Terror, watched the Indiana Jones show, and rode the Great Movie Ride. This park is a lot of fun as well.

The next day we went to Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom is always the best because there is so much to do. We were there for the fireworks that night and enjoyed the time that we had there. The next day we started out by going to the water park and then going back to Magic Kingdom in the afternoon to go and do all the things that we didn't get to do. In the end we rode every ride at Magic Kingdom including Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, etc. Space mountain we discovered was closed for renovations and wouldn't open until winter 2009. I was sad but I'm sure that it'll be bigger and better when it opens again. I hope that they do make sure that it's safe so that nobody can get hurt on the ride. The water park that we went to was called Typhoon Lagoon. Josh and Billy loved riding all of the slides and I hung out with Pat. I was fine not doing the slides and running around like that but enjoyed the wave pool and the water that was placed in random places throughout the park. It also rained a little while we were there but the rain quickly came back out again.

Wednesday we relaxed all day long. We started out going to the Wide World of Sports to see Josh's baseball player from App play rookie ball for the New York Yankees. This was a fun time because there were games going on all over there and we bought a Wide World of Sports baseball and let Isaac sign the ball. Now we'll have that when he becomes famous. We went to the outlet stores and I got some things from the adidas store and Josh got Banana Republic pants for only $25. That is an awesome buy at Banana Republic. That night we went to Downtown Disney and looked around at the shops there and even got to go to Disney Quest which is a big huge building filled with 4 stories of arcade games. We played a motorcycle game and then didn't want to stand in line for these other games that had lots of people wanting to play them. They did have a big screen and several things such as whitewater rafting that you could do with the whole family. That is such a neat idea. Downtown Disney is always fun and we ate at The Rainforest Cafe. This place is definitely overpriced for the food that you get but I believe that you end up paying for the atmosphere that the restaurant has. It storms in there every 20 minutes.

Thursday was Billy's birthday and he loves Epcot so that is where we went. We were there when the doors opened and he got to wear a birthday pin on his shirt. I don't think that he really enjoyed that part but it was fun when people told him happy birthday because they saw his button. We went straight to ride test track and then when we were finished got a fastpass to come back to it later. I think that we did every ride at Epcot and it was so much fun. I however did not ride Mission Space because I just refuse to get that gross sick feeling that you get when you are blasted off into space. I just don't like that. So Pat and I didn't do that with them but I'm glad that Josh had Billy to ride it with him. When we previously had been in December another year I didn't do it and he ended up finding his aunt and cousins on the ride to ride it with him. I bet that they thought that I was a wuss for not riding but I just don't like that ride. Haha! We saw some good shows and we also loved walking around to all of the countries. I love to walk through and experience the different cultures even right here in America. Speaking of other cultures I believe that there were more languages there than English. It was almost difficult to find an English speaker during the time that we went to the parks. There were tour groups all around and a lot of them were from South America- Brazil and Argentina. These were big huge groups that we saw and we tried to avoid the lines that they got into because they were so big. The fireworks at the end of the night were very good and we had a good spot to stand in to see them. It was fun!

Friday we just spent all day relaxing indoors away from the heat. I did end up going to SuperTarget with Pat and I also went to the pool at our end of the resort and going to the gift shop at the clubhouse. This was my idea of a great day as well because it was much needed relaxation. That night we cooked dinner in the suite. It was chicken, corn, potatoes, and bread. It was very yummy and we considered it Billy's birthday dinner. He had a nice lemon tart dessert and we had a chocolate dessert. I would say that that was the best meal that we had all week long. We got up early on Saturday morning and made our way out the door with our things. We dreaded the drive back home but we did it with triumph. We got back to Advance about 5:30 or earlier and Jake got home from work right after we got back to the house. It was nice to see Jake again. He is always on the go. I do wish that he had been able to go on vacation but I'm sure that there will be more to come. Billy and Pat have a new adventure coming up in about a week: Dominican Republic. We get to go there with them next summer, if they enjoy the time that they have now. I am looking forward to more vacations to come! :)

Independence Day

I feel that over these past few months I have grown as a preschool teacher and as a person because of these children. I think that through developing lesson plans for them I have learned more about society, more about holidays, and more about how people interact with one another that I feel even more proud now to be an American. America is a wonderful country filled with celebrations, Americans, families, and communities.

I found this on the computer as I was looking for things about the 4th of July that I could share with my students. Here is what I found..."The Declaration of Independence is more than just a piece of paper. It is a symbol of our country's independence and commitment to certain ideas. A symbol is something that stands for something else. Most people can look at a certain little "swoosh" and know that it stands for "Nike." Well, the signers of the Declaration of Independence wanted the citizens of the United States to have a document that spelled out what was important to our leaders and citizens. They wanted us to be able to look at the Declaration of Independence and immediately think of the goals we should always be working for, and about the people who have fought so hard to make these ideas possible. The people who signed the Declaration risked being hanged for treason by the leaders in Great Britain. They had to be very brave to sign something that would be considered a crime! So every time we look at the Declaration of Independence, we should think about all of the effort and ideas that went into the document, and about the courage it took for these people to stand up for what they knew was right -- independence!"

Being free I am thankful for being able to eat what I want to eat with my family, go to church where I want to go to church and when I want to be there, and being able to elect into office the people that I want to be in office. This country is need of many things right now and one thing is definitely protection from other countries that may not like us as much as we would like them to. I believe that our country's leaders will do the right thing and ensure that we are safe and out of harm's way. I also think that God will help point these leaders in the right direction and ensure that we are following the path that we should be. I should pray more often for our country's leaders and I should pray more often that we will live each day free from troubles.

Happy Birthday, America!

The New House in Boone

We have finally found where we are going to be moving to in Boone. It's a 3 bedroom 2 bath house on Blairmont Drive. It's near the hospital, near the golf course in Boone, and definitely closer to both of our jobs than living in Blowing Rock. I think that that will cut down on a lot of anxiety in the winter for sure. Here are some pictures of the house up above. It has a deck with a view. The dogs will love having more space. There is a washer/dryer and a dishwasher and a 2 car garage. We are very excited. The move in date has been scheduled for starting on July 22nd and then ending on July 26th. I think that this will give us some time to get things out and into the new house. Thank goodness we are only moving across town and not 2 hours away this time. This will be a relief as well. Another big thing about this house is it has AIR CONDITIONING. This is a big find for anywhere in Boone/Blowing Rock. I am excited to be back in business in the air department. Apparently other people in the mountains didn't get the memo that it gets hot here too and sometimes air is necessary. Now the mountains definitely are cooler than other areas of the state but air should never be ruled out. If anyone would like to help us move let us know! :)

So Many Blessings...

Today I have been thinking about blessings and I have been realizing just how blessed that I am. Josh learned recently that we are going to be able to stay in the Boone area because App has found the funds to be able to pay him a full time salary. This pay increase will help us out tremendously and make it so that we can afford things that we couldn't before and help us to save money towards the future. We are going to be renting a house somewhere in the area that we aren't sure of yet. And we are going to build up our house appliances so that soon after this we can buy a house somewhere in the area as well. We are glad for this. I also am blessed that it's summertime and the outdoors are beautiful. It's fun to be able to enjoy them for 3 days out of the week. I get to have Fridays off during the summer and of course the weekends as well. It's always nice to be able to do that. I also get a vacation week in the month of July. I am totally looking forward to that and can't keep my feet on the ground I'm so excited about it. We are going to Disney World with Billy and Pat and we get our own room. Exciting right? Last time that we went on vacation with the Porter's Josh and I weren't married yet and had to sleep in separate beds although we were in the same room. Interesting how time changes things right?

In my last posting I mentioned that my Grandmommie was really ill. She has since recovered from the colon infection and been moved to a rehab facility in Kings Mountain. Here they have taught her how to walk and make sure that she can move around on her own. Being in a hospital bed for a week for a 90 year old can be quite tough. She is coming home this week and having someone stay with her that is somewhat like a home health nurse for 2 nights. This will suit Al and make sure that Grandmommie is able to be on her own. I feel that someone that is 90 years old should have someone check on them often and this not just being a daughter in law or a son but a home health professional that can make sure that she is getting everything that she needs. Prayer definitely works though. I was so afraid that Grandmommie was more sick than an infection and wouldn't be able to recover. It was a miracle that it was just the result of a stomach bug. I myself have had a stomach bug within the last week and know just how intense that those can really be. It's interesting to think to yourself about just how these bugs get started and how fast that they travel. I know that neither one of us want that again.

Also, Josh and I are about to have our one year anniversary on June 21 which is next Sunday. Josh would have just gotten back from the NATA conference in San Antonio Texas and hopefully he won't be too exhausted. I am not sure what all we have planned to do for our anniversary but I do know that our first year of marriage has been so blessed. We both have gotten jobs that we love and are planning to stick with. We have two adorable dogs that we love and they sure are happy dogs. We have survived a very snowy winter together and are looking on towards the future and saving money for things that we know we will want and need in a few years. Josh has a good head on his shoulders about money and he also knows that saving money is important. We have had our share of fusses but I feel like what married couple doesn't? You have to be able to get through the tough times to realize just how in love that you really are. God didn't say that marriage would be easy but he did say love, cherish, and respect your husband/wife. I think that God sums it up when he says that marriage is holy and meant to be held on a pedastool. I look forward to many many many more years of marital bliss.

Update

Grandmommie went to the hospital on Friday with severe abdominal pain. She had not eaten in about 4 days and was getting dehydrated and sickly. My Mom took her to the Emergency Room under orders of Uncle Al because she didn't have enough time in the day on Friday to get in to her regular doctor. They admitted her into the hospital and she actually is still there as of today. She will have to stay there until she gets completely better. She has an infection in her colon. They gave her antibiotics through and IV, fluids through an IV, and also morphine for the pain. That must be intense. I know that morphine is a very strong drug. I am glad to hear that she will recover however. She will also probably need some rehab when she gets out because of the fact she has to sit in the bed for so long and it is causing her legs and other parts of her body to feel sore and not even able to move. I hope that this will get better soon. Moving around is the most important thing for anyone, especially the elderly.

Appalachian lost their games on Thursday and on Friday as well last week so the guys ended up staying the night on Friday and coming home on Saturday morning. Josh got in about noon and we got our things into the car and went on to Montreat. I am sad that I didn't get to go to Greenville and see the games and my cousin Kevin but I'm glad that we got to visit with Billy and Pat at Montreat. Even though we live in the mountains Montreat is still an amazing get away. The Porter house there was built in 1907. Can you believe that it's over 100 years old? It is in great condition and the downstairs has been redone since the year 1907 I'm sure. The upstairs is more of the old timey look and gives you the home feeling every time you step foot inside of it. We went to lunch at Dr. Pepper's as soon as we got there. This restaurant is right in the middle of Black Mountain downtown. We then hung out at the house and helped straighten up a few things. We mounted a flat screen tv on the wall in the living room which I might add is a very nice addition to the downstairs. Papa Porter will love it I'm sure when he sees it for the first time in a few weeks. Bill Porter comes up for a few weeks every summer and relaxes and gathers his thoughts. I think that it's kind of like his sabbatical, as you hear so many people talk about in the summers. Saturday night we went to dinner in Asheville at a place called Cheddar's and ate entirely too much. Then that night we just watched tv together and fell asleep. Sunday morning we got up and did more things around the house. I wanted to go to church at Montreat Presbyterian Church but we just couldn't gather ourselves together in time because we were so tired and lazy. We did get more things done around the house. We all left in the mid afternoon and headed back home. I was sad to go but glad that we had been able to be together.

While we were at Montreat and sharing stories about our lives, Pat told me a story about how Josh's cousin Eric is in the hospital in Tennessee. He apparently had surgery on his hand and it has become infected. He has been in the hospital for about 10 days I believe and they are saying that he needs to control his drug habit or he will die. His brain apparently has been fried from using so many drugs. This is a sad thing because everyone in the family loves him and wants the best for him, not the worst. He will have to do something in order to be able to regain control of his brain and drugs are not the answer. I say prayers for him everyday that he will make a full recovery and not need to turn to drugs for an answer or for an escape.

In the mean time, my family had been gathering together at the hospital in Charlotte to take care of Grandmommie. Uncle Al and Aunt Ann had gotten Grandmommie a new loveseat from a furniture store in Charlotte and put it in her living room. I know that she will be excited to come hom to this surprise and will find herself more comfortable on that couch I'm sure than her old couch. That couch was beginning to feel very uncomfortable and she spent most of her time in a chair instead. Al and Ann weren't leaving until today so I'm glad that my Mom and Dad got to spend some time with them. It's so nice to be with family.

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

There is nothing more precious in my eyes than family :)

The Importance of Grandmothers

Grandmommie has been having a rough time these past few days. Apparently she is very sick to her stomach and had some incidents that weren't too pleasant. The doctors seem to think that she just has a virus but I sure hope that she gets better soon. People say that she was getting some of her color back today but Daddy said that she was talking funny tonight. I don't know exactly how funny that she was talking but apparently she just seems too weak to talk. I think that the Lord will lead us through it but I think that we need to say prayers for her. Grandmothers are very special people and without them we may not learn all the ways of the world. She is so very wise and loving. I hope that she can get better and recover fully.

Appalachian and the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament

Josh has left and traveled on to Greenville, SC with the Appalachian baseball team. The season is winding down with the final Southern Conference Baseball Tournament. They start off the tournament by playing the Citadel at 1 p.m. tomorrow. If they win then they will play at 5 p.m. on Thursday but if they lose then they will play again at 9 a.m. on Thursday. Whew! That would be an early game huh? I think that playing at 5 would be a much greater advantage. I think that tournaments don't ever really reflect how well a team can play because the circumstances in a team's life changes throughout each game and throughout each team that they play. One day one team can play amazingly and the next day everyone not feel well and play awful. Baseball however is unique in the fact that someone can help make up for someone else's slack.

Say prayers that App makes it far into the tournament. If this does happen then I will be going to the ending games on Saturday and Sunday. I hope that this happens because Tuesday-Saturday without seeing Joshy is tough enough as it is. I can't wait until SATURDAY! :) On top of this tournament going on it's also Memorial Day weekend and the fam is going to Montreat along with Vick and Allen. I think that that will be a fun time. If App does end up losing and the boys come home then Josh and I are going to head on over to Montreat to relax and enjoy some more mountain air. That house is so nice and relaxing that it's hard to not want to be there all the time.