For Christmas this year my husband and I went to Florida. We stayed with friends that have a home there in Fort Myers. We had so much fun and it was so nice to wear shorts in the middle of winter! I could get use to that for sure!
Their home was very nice. We had our own part of the house on one side to ourselves. Our bedroom had a sliding glass window and the water was right outside our window. It was not the ocean, but it was a canal. It was still very pretty. One morning I woke up and after I got ready I went outside to get fresh air like I did every morning and I saw something in the water. I knew right away it was an alligator from the shape of the head. He just stared at me for the longest time. Then a seagull came by and he snapped his head around to get that seagull (he missed,ha). Then he came up on the surface of the water and started swimming. I got to see him up close and his tail was swishing back and forth. It was cool to see. From that morning on I kept looking for our "friend" the alligator, but he never returned to see me. I was safe because there was this wall he would have to get up to get me along the sides of the canal and plus the yard was fenced in.
Bob and Alice had their own dock for their boat right out their backdoor. Their patio was gorgious. They had an awesome pool. It had a hottub that had a waterfall coming down into the swimming pool. It was very nice. We swam a couple of times. We ran around to do things on most days we were there. They actually sold their house when we were there on vacation with them. They wanted to sell it and travel west for awhile before they came back to Ohio.
The first thing we did while we were there was go to the everglades. It was the coolest thing ever! We rode on these air boats around the everglades for an hour. The driver would get in open water and do a spin out in the boat and it was so much fun. We saw an alligator on the shore of the everglades and it sat there for a long time for us to see him. The driver put the boat right up next to the alligator and it was on my side of the boat. We were so close he could have jumped in with me if he wanted to. It was scary for a few minutes, lol. We saw these plants called "air plants" and the driver kept talking about them and I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. They were these plants that grew up high in trees. They looked like real house plants growing in the trees. It was really interesting to see them. We went when they just had some rain the week before, so there was not any dry spots to go across with the air boat. Normally there would be dry spots and the air boat goes right over them and it looks more "swampy" I guess. It was something I would go back and do for sure!
On the way back to the house, we traveled "Alligator Alley" and the road was lined with Alligators for miles. On each side of the road they had these high fences so there was no danger in them coming after you. There were some places that didn't have the fences and some people were out of their cars by the water (which was by the road) and they could have encountered alligators. They were stupid! We stopped at this park on the way home and saw more alligators in the waters when we looked down over a foot bridge. It was close to the water and you could see real well. We saw these pelicans catching fish and swallowing them also. There was this couple who had two little dogs at this park and the park ranger told them right away to get the dogs out of here because if the gators saw them, they would come after them to eat them. We didn't want that. They listened of course and took there dogs away.
On another day we went to this place called Fishermans Wharf. It was a boardwalk on the water of shops and restaurants. We had alligator tail for an appetizer for lunch and I spit it out right away. It was too strong of a taste for me. Yuck! Tom liked it. Ewwww. I had grouper fish and it was a light mild tasting fish (which I prefer). The shrimp was really good also. Eating seafood where it is really fresh makes a huge difference in the taste. The shopping was ok. I am not much of a shopper. Most of these shops just had tacky looking stuff as gifts. You could find some nice things, but you paid for them!
One of my favorite things to do was go to Naples, FL. We went to the pier that went way out in the water. We finally got to see the ocean while we were there. It was gorgious! I love love love the ocean! We saw a dolphin come up right in front of us- it was awesome! I just loved it! Talk about getting excited, you have never seen me by the ocean and seeing the sea life! lol. I could have stayed there all day! The beach was beautiful. You saw all kinds of seashells. This one guy on the pier was cleaning his fish and the pelicans and seagulls were going nuts. We watched them for a long time. Then we went to the very end of the pier and just sat there and relaxed and looked at the water for awhile. I would give anything to live by the ocean! It is just the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life!
One day we went to this place called "Tin City" It had lots more shops to go through then at Fishermans Wharf. It was much better to go through. It was outside by the water more and you felt the breeze and heard the Gulf waters and it was just gorgious. Tom wanted to get some seashells to put in his fish tank. We found some and some coral. Unfortunatley the coral was broke from the crazy airlines and the way they handle the luggage. Oh well.
That night we came back to Tin City and got on a night cruise big boat and they took us by all these houses on the water to see all the Christmas decorations. It was really fun going out at night on the water and seeing all the Christmas lights. A little chilly, but fun. We had hot chocolate on the boat though and that helped warm us up.
Another day was spent at the Barnum and Baileys home, Art Museum, and the collections to see of the circus costumes, railroad cars, etc. It was so neat to see all the different costumes, circus stuff and old railroad cars,etc. I didn't care for the museum of art to well. It was neat to see, but it was not my favorite thing. All the pictures looked the same after awhile. Bob was telling us this art was very old. I forget exactly what he said, so I probably have the details off, but I know it was 16 something. 16th century or 1600 (year). Something like that. It was old! Then I was disappointed! We didn't have enough time to go through the house! We saw the outside of it and it was huge!! It was right on the Gulf and was just breathtaking! It was still a fun trip.
I think that is about all we ended up doing. The rest of the time was spent at the house swimming, relaxing on the patio, and it was Christmas, so I helped with Christmas dinner as well while we were there. It went so fast! I could have just stayed there and moved there. I hated coming back to the snow. It spoiled you for sure!
I missed my family at Christmas this year, but we are going to have Christmas with them in the next week or so. It is a little late, but hey, we will still be together and we will all enjoy opening gifts in the middle of January! No biggie! LOL. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas this year and hope you all had a Safe New Year!
~Shellie Stephens
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day Weekend
I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day Holiday Weekend! It is monday and I am exhausted,ha. I also took two benedryl last night and am so droggy today because of it. My allergies have been going crazy and to help me sleep last night I took the benedryl, but can't function today because of it. Oh well, gives me an excuse to be lazy.
My husband and I have never been to the Greek Festival in the short north of Columbus and we ended up going this weekend. One of Tom's buddies from work goes every year and kept telling us about it and we finally went this year. It was fun! We tried different kinds of Greek food and it was really good. Everyone talks about the baklava and I did not like it. Tom did, but I was not impressed at all. I am not a fan of the Greek desserts. We also checked out the North Market there and it reminded us of the Continent when it was open. Wow, that brings back memories of growing up. We spent alot of time at the Continent on weekends growing up. We want to go back so that we can spend more time in the North Market. We did not get to spend much time there because of going over to the Greek Festival. We will be back for sure!
We toured an amazing church at the Greek Festival. It was so beautiful!! I can't even start to explain the dome ceiling inside this church! It was millions of tiny pieces of mosaic art and it was gorgious! It took two years to build the church. I am going to hopefully post pictures of the church dome on my facebook page. If I can figure out how to get them off my cell phone. I will have to ask Angie (a friend) because she does it all the time.
We also went to the flea market in our town at the fairgrounds early in the morning before going to the Greek Festival. It had been awhile since we had been there. I bought a Fisher Price house for the babysitting kids to play with. When I got it home, I saw that it was cracked on one side with the plastic coming off. Oh Well, I only paid $3.00 for it,ha. I will have to tape up the one side with packing tape or something. It should be ok. If not, I will have to throw it away I guess. I also bought a Noah's Ark set for the kids to play with for $2.00. I got a paper weight for my desk that is cool looking, it reminds me of those lava lamp designs on the inside of the paper weight. My cousin Brittany had made a bunch of heating pad things with field corn on the inside and you heat in the microwave for a heating pad. She was selling those for only a $1.00 and I bought one from her. I tried it last night in the microwave and it is awesome! It works great!
We wanted to go to the flea market in another town nearby, but the rain on monday stopped those plans. We ended up just staying at home doing stuff around the house that needed done. We put our new doorbell (on the outside of door) up after being broke forever. We fixed some spots on our walls that got banged up. We set my new moniter up on my desk for my computer. I did laundry. We will probably go out to eat later. That is about it. It was nice just to stay home today and relax mostly and spend time with my hubby.
Hope you all had a great weekend. Back to work Tuesday. The weekend flew by as always!
Talk to you all soon,
Shellie
My husband and I have never been to the Greek Festival in the short north of Columbus and we ended up going this weekend. One of Tom's buddies from work goes every year and kept telling us about it and we finally went this year. It was fun! We tried different kinds of Greek food and it was really good. Everyone talks about the baklava and I did not like it. Tom did, but I was not impressed at all. I am not a fan of the Greek desserts. We also checked out the North Market there and it reminded us of the Continent when it was open. Wow, that brings back memories of growing up. We spent alot of time at the Continent on weekends growing up. We want to go back so that we can spend more time in the North Market. We did not get to spend much time there because of going over to the Greek Festival. We will be back for sure!
We toured an amazing church at the Greek Festival. It was so beautiful!! I can't even start to explain the dome ceiling inside this church! It was millions of tiny pieces of mosaic art and it was gorgious! It took two years to build the church. I am going to hopefully post pictures of the church dome on my facebook page. If I can figure out how to get them off my cell phone. I will have to ask Angie (a friend) because she does it all the time.
We also went to the flea market in our town at the fairgrounds early in the morning before going to the Greek Festival. It had been awhile since we had been there. I bought a Fisher Price house for the babysitting kids to play with. When I got it home, I saw that it was cracked on one side with the plastic coming off. Oh Well, I only paid $3.00 for it,ha. I will have to tape up the one side with packing tape or something. It should be ok. If not, I will have to throw it away I guess. I also bought a Noah's Ark set for the kids to play with for $2.00. I got a paper weight for my desk that is cool looking, it reminds me of those lava lamp designs on the inside of the paper weight. My cousin Brittany had made a bunch of heating pad things with field corn on the inside and you heat in the microwave for a heating pad. She was selling those for only a $1.00 and I bought one from her. I tried it last night in the microwave and it is awesome! It works great!
We wanted to go to the flea market in another town nearby, but the rain on monday stopped those plans. We ended up just staying at home doing stuff around the house that needed done. We put our new doorbell (on the outside of door) up after being broke forever. We fixed some spots on our walls that got banged up. We set my new moniter up on my desk for my computer. I did laundry. We will probably go out to eat later. That is about it. It was nice just to stay home today and relax mostly and spend time with my hubby.
Hope you all had a great weekend. Back to work Tuesday. The weekend flew by as always!
Talk to you all soon,
Shellie
Friday, August 7, 2009
Hocking Hills Vacation
August 3-7 my husband and I finally got away for a week. It was way over due!! We had not been on a vacation in 5 years or so. It was so nice to get that time together. We went to the Hocking Hills. We rented a cabin for two days called the "Timber Ridge." Then we had to switch cabins and went for 3 days to the "Pioneer." They were basically the same design except the "Pioneer" had a balcony/deck and a much better view! We also took our dog with us. He loved it. He didn't know what to think at first, but then he went on trails with us and walked around the cabins and smelled all these different smells and he was in heaven marking his spots everywhere he could,ha.
The first cabin we stayed at the guests started a tradition in the cabin. There was a treasure hunt for all the guests. You had to see if you could find items that were hidden by past guests and then you had to leave your own items to find for the next guests. You left the ones you found in place also. It was a neat idea I thought. It drove me crazy though because I only found three items on the list. The first thing I found was a postage stamp. It was taped up under the mantle of the fireplace. The second item I found was a wrapped toothpick hidden under a fake plant on a dresser. The third item I found was a fanged-shaped rock hidden on top of a wooden thing on the wall that had wooden hooks like to hang up your robe in the bedroom. The guests before us also hid a white button, a happy birthday sticker and jack of diamonds playing card. We could not find those and it drove us nuts! It made me wonder if the housekeeper finds these items and throws them away. If you read the book in the cabin though it has been going on for a long time (years) and everyone tells what they find in the treasure hunt, so that told me the items do not get removed from the housekeeper.
We had a hot tub at both the cabins and it was so relaxing. I was so impressed with how clean everything was there. They had a guy come out everyday in the morning to get the trash, clean the charcoal out for you and clean the hot tub. They said they make sure the hot tubs are tip top clean everyday! And the cabins were the most clean I have ever stayed in a cabin. Well, it was more like log homes then a cabin, but they call them cabins. I never once saw a spider or any outdoor little creatures you might expect to see in a cabin when you are staying there. My dog slipped and fell on the wooden floors I don't know how many times because they were so shiney, polished looking and very clean! It was impressive. We stayed at the Smokey Mountains cabins one time and they were not near as clean as these cabins were in the Hocking Hills.
We had lots of cookouts on the charcoal grill. We didn't eat out but twice. It was nice. I forgot what charcoal grilling food tastes like. It was so good. I told Tom I would like to have a little charcoal grill now,ha. We are so use to the gas grills and completely forgot the taste of how charcoal is.
We also would have our fires in our firepits at night and roast marshmellows and one night we had smores. On the grill we would have hot dogs or brats. One night we had a steak and grilled shrimp and it was really good. I made BLT's for breakfast one morning. The only down fall was having to do your own dishes BY HAND,ha. No dishwasher in these cabins!
We mostly just relaxed while we were there. We didn't do much on the trails. We did go to Ash Cave. That is one of our favorite spots on the trails to go. It is also mostly flat and it was easier for our dog to go. He loved it. We did alot of sight seeing. Just driving around. We saw alot of deer of course also. We went to the beach in Logan. It was nice. Hardly anyone there. We also went to the Dur Dutchman there one afternoon and then over next door to feed goats and reindeer. You could see these animals out our window as we were eating at the Dur Dutchman and I just had to go over and see them. All the reindeer were white and some of them had huge racks on them. They all seemed really friendly. There was a put-put golf course next to that. Then we went over to this amish store and picked up some cheese. There was an antique mall also, but I hate those things and Tom wouldn't go in by himself. ha.
When we stayed at the "Pioneer" there were wild turkeys that just wandered around. The desk told us when we checked in that sometimes you will see them, but mostly you just hear them. We kept throwing food out in the yard hoping to get a glimpse of them, but they never showed their faces. We heard them though. We also heard a rooster late in the day, but never early morning. It was funny. It was like the rooster had its time all messed up. It was just so peaceful back in the woods. Not a sound of anything but NATURE. It is highly recommended to go here if you want to relax and get some peace and quiet.
We would love to keep going back every year and stay in a different cabin each time. There is alot to do around there if you want to be on the go more. There were ATV's to ride, horseback riding, of course all the trails (Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, Conkles Hollow, etc), there was zip lines you could go do, I mean we had all kinds of pamlettes that had all these different things you could do there that I was not even aware of. We went to this place called Lake Hope and they had this hummingbird place that you could feed the hummingbirds right out of your hands! I wanted to do that, but it was not open when we went. It was only open like three days a week and you could only feed the hummingbirds from 1-3 PM. It was quite a drive so we did not go back.
Like I said, we mostly just wanted to stay around the cabin and relax and that is what we did. Next trip, we want to do more trails. We have done them before, but way back when we first met.
So, that was our vacation pretty much. We enjoyed ourselves and want to return for sure. Talk to you all soon.
~Shellie
The first cabin we stayed at the guests started a tradition in the cabin. There was a treasure hunt for all the guests. You had to see if you could find items that were hidden by past guests and then you had to leave your own items to find for the next guests. You left the ones you found in place also. It was a neat idea I thought. It drove me crazy though because I only found three items on the list. The first thing I found was a postage stamp. It was taped up under the mantle of the fireplace. The second item I found was a wrapped toothpick hidden under a fake plant on a dresser. The third item I found was a fanged-shaped rock hidden on top of a wooden thing on the wall that had wooden hooks like to hang up your robe in the bedroom. The guests before us also hid a white button, a happy birthday sticker and jack of diamonds playing card. We could not find those and it drove us nuts! It made me wonder if the housekeeper finds these items and throws them away. If you read the book in the cabin though it has been going on for a long time (years) and everyone tells what they find in the treasure hunt, so that told me the items do not get removed from the housekeeper.
We had a hot tub at both the cabins and it was so relaxing. I was so impressed with how clean everything was there. They had a guy come out everyday in the morning to get the trash, clean the charcoal out for you and clean the hot tub. They said they make sure the hot tubs are tip top clean everyday! And the cabins were the most clean I have ever stayed in a cabin. Well, it was more like log homes then a cabin, but they call them cabins. I never once saw a spider or any outdoor little creatures you might expect to see in a cabin when you are staying there. My dog slipped and fell on the wooden floors I don't know how many times because they were so shiney, polished looking and very clean! It was impressive. We stayed at the Smokey Mountains cabins one time and they were not near as clean as these cabins were in the Hocking Hills.
We had lots of cookouts on the charcoal grill. We didn't eat out but twice. It was nice. I forgot what charcoal grilling food tastes like. It was so good. I told Tom I would like to have a little charcoal grill now,ha. We are so use to the gas grills and completely forgot the taste of how charcoal is.
We also would have our fires in our firepits at night and roast marshmellows and one night we had smores. On the grill we would have hot dogs or brats. One night we had a steak and grilled shrimp and it was really good. I made BLT's for breakfast one morning. The only down fall was having to do your own dishes BY HAND,ha. No dishwasher in these cabins!
We mostly just relaxed while we were there. We didn't do much on the trails. We did go to Ash Cave. That is one of our favorite spots on the trails to go. It is also mostly flat and it was easier for our dog to go. He loved it. We did alot of sight seeing. Just driving around. We saw alot of deer of course also. We went to the beach in Logan. It was nice. Hardly anyone there. We also went to the Dur Dutchman there one afternoon and then over next door to feed goats and reindeer. You could see these animals out our window as we were eating at the Dur Dutchman and I just had to go over and see them. All the reindeer were white and some of them had huge racks on them. They all seemed really friendly. There was a put-put golf course next to that. Then we went over to this amish store and picked up some cheese. There was an antique mall also, but I hate those things and Tom wouldn't go in by himself. ha.
When we stayed at the "Pioneer" there were wild turkeys that just wandered around. The desk told us when we checked in that sometimes you will see them, but mostly you just hear them. We kept throwing food out in the yard hoping to get a glimpse of them, but they never showed their faces. We heard them though. We also heard a rooster late in the day, but never early morning. It was funny. It was like the rooster had its time all messed up. It was just so peaceful back in the woods. Not a sound of anything but NATURE. It is highly recommended to go here if you want to relax and get some peace and quiet.
We would love to keep going back every year and stay in a different cabin each time. There is alot to do around there if you want to be on the go more. There were ATV's to ride, horseback riding, of course all the trails (Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, Conkles Hollow, etc), there was zip lines you could go do, I mean we had all kinds of pamlettes that had all these different things you could do there that I was not even aware of. We went to this place called Lake Hope and they had this hummingbird place that you could feed the hummingbirds right out of your hands! I wanted to do that, but it was not open when we went. It was only open like three days a week and you could only feed the hummingbirds from 1-3 PM. It was quite a drive so we did not go back.
Like I said, we mostly just wanted to stay around the cabin and relax and that is what we did. Next trip, we want to do more trails. We have done them before, but way back when we first met.
So, that was our vacation pretty much. We enjoyed ourselves and want to return for sure. Talk to you all soon.
~Shellie
Friday, July 3, 2009
Our day at the Zoo
On Thursday July 2nd my babysitting kids and I end up going to the zoo. I am scared to go because of Toms leg, but he is working and I said "ok" I will go, but for Tom to call me if he is feeling worse. I am just really worried about him (read post below this one to understand).
So, I end up taking the kids to the zoo. Penelope, Sammi, Erin and I. It was in the 70's that day and I thought I better go while it is cool out. I don't handle heat well and will not go out in the heat all day for nothing. It is not worth it with my hives. So anyway, we get there and it was raining a little when we first got there, but cleared up nicely for the day. The first thing the girls wanted to do is to see the baby elephant. They have been there before and from what I understand from the girls is they have never seen the baby elephant. They were excited that they finally got to see the baby elephant (which is named BECO). We stood in line for 50 minutes to see the baby elephant!!! Crazy!! But it was worth the look on the kids face.
We then went on to see all the animals in the "North America" and "Asian Quest" sections of the zoo (that is just ONE section of the zoo). It took us from 10:30 AM to 3:15 PM to see that! We have to go back to see the rest. They want to ride the rides so bad at "Jacks Landing" and I told them that I would let them one day just ride rides and we would not do nothing else but to ride the rides. They were excited and wanted to go today! I don't have them today though because of the holiday.
I had not been to the zoo in a really LONG time and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Sammi loves tigers and she saw a tiger up close and just the look on her face! It was worth the whole day just to look at the faces of the girls. I think how much fun Faith would have had. When you do things like the zoo I just think how much more fun it is when a child is there to enjoy it with you. I don't know how to explain it, it just makes it more worthwhile and enjoyable looking at things through a childs eyes.
We saw all the animals out today since it was so cool outside. All the animals were out and moving around and active. It was the most fun I had at the zoo any time that I ever had been to the zoo because it was so cool out and the animals were actually out and about. We saw a Rhino, Both the mommy and baby elephant, three big brown bears, a black bear, a sun bear, reindeer, pronghorns, a bison, swans, ducks, bobcats, tigers, cranes, a red panda (which was gorgious), the pheasants, timber wolves, prairie dogs, moose, a puma, the bald eagles, and the songbird aviary. Usually when you go to the zoo, you might see only half (if that) out to actually see the animals and this time all of them were out. We ran out of time so we missed the lions in that section so we will have to see them at another time.
We also rode the train. I don't think Penelope had ever been on the train and she waved her hands the whole time and made these loud screaming sounds, and just laughed and smiled the whole time. She loved it! She held out her hands and made like crying sounds when we got off the train, she wanted to go back on!
I also let Sammi and Erin ride the pony. Erin's pony was named Domino and Sammi's pony was named Socks. Sammi got off and said to me (in this cute little way) that her pony had to stop and pee. She thought that was neat! ha.
All the girls were out like a light on the way home from the zoo. I got out of the car and was so sore. That was the most I walked in a long time,ha. The girls had swimming lessons that same night, so I hope they made it. They were so tired!
That was our day at the zoo. Very enjoyable. If you haven't been there in awhile I suggest going. It was alot of fun and they have alot of new stuff since I have been there. Jennifer and Dusty put me on their pass to the zoo and so I get in free with the kids. That makes it nice. We packed our lunches, but I didn't bring drinks and about died when 4 drinks was $11.00 dollars! That is where they (the zoo) makes their money!
Have a great 4th of July holiday weekend everyone!
Love, Shellie
So, I end up taking the kids to the zoo. Penelope, Sammi, Erin and I. It was in the 70's that day and I thought I better go while it is cool out. I don't handle heat well and will not go out in the heat all day for nothing. It is not worth it with my hives. So anyway, we get there and it was raining a little when we first got there, but cleared up nicely for the day. The first thing the girls wanted to do is to see the baby elephant. They have been there before and from what I understand from the girls is they have never seen the baby elephant. They were excited that they finally got to see the baby elephant (which is named BECO). We stood in line for 50 minutes to see the baby elephant!!! Crazy!! But it was worth the look on the kids face.
We then went on to see all the animals in the "North America" and "Asian Quest" sections of the zoo (that is just ONE section of the zoo). It took us from 10:30 AM to 3:15 PM to see that! We have to go back to see the rest. They want to ride the rides so bad at "Jacks Landing" and I told them that I would let them one day just ride rides and we would not do nothing else but to ride the rides. They were excited and wanted to go today! I don't have them today though because of the holiday.
I had not been to the zoo in a really LONG time and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Sammi loves tigers and she saw a tiger up close and just the look on her face! It was worth the whole day just to look at the faces of the girls. I think how much fun Faith would have had. When you do things like the zoo I just think how much more fun it is when a child is there to enjoy it with you. I don't know how to explain it, it just makes it more worthwhile and enjoyable looking at things through a childs eyes.
We saw all the animals out today since it was so cool outside. All the animals were out and moving around and active. It was the most fun I had at the zoo any time that I ever had been to the zoo because it was so cool out and the animals were actually out and about. We saw a Rhino, Both the mommy and baby elephant, three big brown bears, a black bear, a sun bear, reindeer, pronghorns, a bison, swans, ducks, bobcats, tigers, cranes, a red panda (which was gorgious), the pheasants, timber wolves, prairie dogs, moose, a puma, the bald eagles, and the songbird aviary. Usually when you go to the zoo, you might see only half (if that) out to actually see the animals and this time all of them were out. We ran out of time so we missed the lions in that section so we will have to see them at another time.
We also rode the train. I don't think Penelope had ever been on the train and she waved her hands the whole time and made these loud screaming sounds, and just laughed and smiled the whole time. She loved it! She held out her hands and made like crying sounds when we got off the train, she wanted to go back on!
I also let Sammi and Erin ride the pony. Erin's pony was named Domino and Sammi's pony was named Socks. Sammi got off and said to me (in this cute little way) that her pony had to stop and pee. She thought that was neat! ha.
All the girls were out like a light on the way home from the zoo. I got out of the car and was so sore. That was the most I walked in a long time,ha. The girls had swimming lessons that same night, so I hope they made it. They were so tired!
That was our day at the zoo. Very enjoyable. If you haven't been there in awhile I suggest going. It was alot of fun and they have alot of new stuff since I have been there. Jennifer and Dusty put me on their pass to the zoo and so I get in free with the kids. That makes it nice. We packed our lunches, but I didn't bring drinks and about died when 4 drinks was $11.00 dollars! That is where they (the zoo) makes their money!
Have a great 4th of July holiday weekend everyone!
Love, Shellie
illness
Wow, it has been a month since I have been on here.
Well, to start for two weeks I was sick. My throat swelled up really bad and I could not swallow for over a week. It was the worst pain I ever felt with my throat like that. I finally went to the doctor and she thought it might be strep, but that test came back negative. Then she tested me for mono and that test came back negative as well. She took blood from me to test some things that I have no idea what she was testing and those came back negative. They took a x-ray of my throat and found it was very swollen with little space to swallow and she wanted to put me in the hospital, but she ended up giving me two antibiotic shots in my hips and a steriod shot (for the swelling in throat) in my hip as well. She also sent me home with 3 bottles of liquid antibiotics to take. I was not getting better, and ended up at the doctors after that day to day for more steriod shots for my throat swelling. She kept saying maybe she should put me in the hospital, but she never did. I hate hospitals since my experience with my daughter Faith, so that was a relief. So anyways, I finally started feeling better and my doctor never did figure out what was wrong with me. My tonsils were swollen worse then they ever have been and they were really red, so maybe it was just a case of tonsilitis. Who knows! It was terrible though and I never want to have that again!
Now, my husband gets sick. He gets a really bad fever and his throat hurts and I think he is getting whatever it was that I had. Well, it ended up being something far worse. His leg started getting really red below his knee and it felt like it was on fire. He went to the doctor and it is a terrible infection in his leg that if not treated could result in amputation of his leg. He is a diabetic and he got this infection through a crack in his heel of his foot, it traveled up his leg and the doctor said if Tom would have waited a day or two more he would have been in the hospital in bad shape. His leg looks horrible! With him being diabetic he needs to take care of his feet. His feet are in bad shape as well. Any opening cut or crack in his feet can cause terrible infections the doctor said. He had this same infection ( I believe he called it celulitis ) when we came home from the hospital after Faith died, but it was in his hand. His hand swelled up bigger then I thought a hand could swell and it was really red and hot to the touch the same as his leg now. They treated his hand in the hospital and made a big deal out of it as well and said he could loose his hand. I never heard of these infections. So, he has to be very careful. The antibiotics are just now starting to work it seems. His leg is not hot to the touch now (which the doctor said is the infection that is hot feeling) and it is starting to look a little brown and not as red, but his leg still looks horrible. It has these red patches everywhere from his knee down and just terrible looking is the only way I can explain it. I pray he is on his way to getting better and it will heal completely. Please pray with me. I worry about his health so much to the point it makes me sick.
The past month we have been dealing with these sicknesses and hope it is behind us soon. The 4th of July holiday is this weekend and we hope to enjoy it. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday as well.
Love, Shellie
Well, to start for two weeks I was sick. My throat swelled up really bad and I could not swallow for over a week. It was the worst pain I ever felt with my throat like that. I finally went to the doctor and she thought it might be strep, but that test came back negative. Then she tested me for mono and that test came back negative as well. She took blood from me to test some things that I have no idea what she was testing and those came back negative. They took a x-ray of my throat and found it was very swollen with little space to swallow and she wanted to put me in the hospital, but she ended up giving me two antibiotic shots in my hips and a steriod shot (for the swelling in throat) in my hip as well. She also sent me home with 3 bottles of liquid antibiotics to take. I was not getting better, and ended up at the doctors after that day to day for more steriod shots for my throat swelling. She kept saying maybe she should put me in the hospital, but she never did. I hate hospitals since my experience with my daughter Faith, so that was a relief. So anyways, I finally started feeling better and my doctor never did figure out what was wrong with me. My tonsils were swollen worse then they ever have been and they were really red, so maybe it was just a case of tonsilitis. Who knows! It was terrible though and I never want to have that again!
Now, my husband gets sick. He gets a really bad fever and his throat hurts and I think he is getting whatever it was that I had. Well, it ended up being something far worse. His leg started getting really red below his knee and it felt like it was on fire. He went to the doctor and it is a terrible infection in his leg that if not treated could result in amputation of his leg. He is a diabetic and he got this infection through a crack in his heel of his foot, it traveled up his leg and the doctor said if Tom would have waited a day or two more he would have been in the hospital in bad shape. His leg looks horrible! With him being diabetic he needs to take care of his feet. His feet are in bad shape as well. Any opening cut or crack in his feet can cause terrible infections the doctor said. He had this same infection ( I believe he called it celulitis ) when we came home from the hospital after Faith died, but it was in his hand. His hand swelled up bigger then I thought a hand could swell and it was really red and hot to the touch the same as his leg now. They treated his hand in the hospital and made a big deal out of it as well and said he could loose his hand. I never heard of these infections. So, he has to be very careful. The antibiotics are just now starting to work it seems. His leg is not hot to the touch now (which the doctor said is the infection that is hot feeling) and it is starting to look a little brown and not as red, but his leg still looks horrible. It has these red patches everywhere from his knee down and just terrible looking is the only way I can explain it. I pray he is on his way to getting better and it will heal completely. Please pray with me. I worry about his health so much to the point it makes me sick.
The past month we have been dealing with these sicknesses and hope it is behind us soon. The 4th of July holiday is this weekend and we hope to enjoy it. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday as well.
Love, Shellie
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Babysitting
I love having a day off through the week. It usually is on Wednesdays. Gives me time to catch up on things around the house because I don't like to do it on the weekends. I also like to use my day off to just be lazy and do nothing at all (which is what I decided to do today,ha).
One of my babysitting kids birthday is today. Penelope Rose (I call her Penni) is ONE YEAR old today. I can't believe how fast they grow. She is not walking yet, but we are practicing alot. I think kids just do things on their own time, when they are ready and not when we are ready for them to do things. That is my experience anyway from babysitting. I had one boy that was terrible to potty train. We didn't think he would EVER get potty trained. Then one day, he just decided he was going to do it and he did it from that day on. Little burger. ha.
I know the parents get worried if their kids are not doing stuff by a certain time. I don't remember it being like that when I was a kid. Shoot, I stuttered up to the third grade and I drank a bottle up to 5 years old. I turned out fine (some may say otherwise,ha). I just think the teachers (no offense Angie,ha) and doctors expect too much too soon from the kids today. I think they just need to learn at their own pace. That is my opinion though. I know times have changed alot since I was a kid.
I hope you all have a great summer. It will go by fast so enjoy it!
My dog is barking to go potty. See ya later gators.
Shellie
One of my babysitting kids birthday is today. Penelope Rose (I call her Penni) is ONE YEAR old today. I can't believe how fast they grow. She is not walking yet, but we are practicing alot. I think kids just do things on their own time, when they are ready and not when we are ready for them to do things. That is my experience anyway from babysitting. I had one boy that was terrible to potty train. We didn't think he would EVER get potty trained. Then one day, he just decided he was going to do it and he did it from that day on. Little burger. ha.
I know the parents get worried if their kids are not doing stuff by a certain time. I don't remember it being like that when I was a kid. Shoot, I stuttered up to the third grade and I drank a bottle up to 5 years old. I turned out fine (some may say otherwise,ha). I just think the teachers (no offense Angie,ha) and doctors expect too much too soon from the kids today. I think they just need to learn at their own pace. That is my opinion though. I know times have changed alot since I was a kid.
I hope you all have a great summer. It will go by fast so enjoy it!
My dog is barking to go potty. See ya later gators.
Shellie
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Memorial Holiday Weekend
I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend. It was just beautiful. We could not have asked for better weather that is for sure.
It seems like most people will either do yardwork, camping, or a family barbeque on the Memorial weekend holiday. Tom and I did lots and lots of yardwork. I planted tons of flowers and it looks so good. We also finally finished our bed on the side of our house. We now have a beautiful tree outside our kitchen window to look at. What a difference landscaping makes! We have lived in our home for 5 1/2 years now and we are just now getting our landscaping done how we want it to look. You have to take it slow doing these things because landscaping is so expensive. Buying flowers is one thing, but you start buying bushes and trees that is another thing. We did end up getting a flowering dogwood tree for only $110.00 and if you have ever looked at tree prices ( for a nice size tree ) it is crazy priced! So we were happy to get this tree and it is medium sized so we are satisfied with it.
It was such a blessing to have my husband off with me for three whole days! He never takes days off and for him to take three days off in a row was wonderful! I even had him planting pots of flowers with me over the weekend! He said he actually enjoyed it. That is my favorite part of planting. I set up a banquet table (those long white tables) and I get my pots out and plant a mix of flowers in each pot. I also do my own hanging baskets and pots for the graves for my dad and my daughter. They turned out really well. Tom and I took them over to the graves on Monday (Memorial Day). I could not believe how many people were over at the graves planting flowers. It was packed with people. You could tell everyone had been at the graves planting because everything looked so beautiful and colorful.
I ended up having an extra day off on Tuesday and was glad because I was exhausted from the weekend. The work was well worth it though. It feels so good to just sit back and enjoy it.
I would love to hear what you all did this holiday weekend. Make comments to let me know or email me.
Love, Shellie
It seems like most people will either do yardwork, camping, or a family barbeque on the Memorial weekend holiday. Tom and I did lots and lots of yardwork. I planted tons of flowers and it looks so good. We also finally finished our bed on the side of our house. We now have a beautiful tree outside our kitchen window to look at. What a difference landscaping makes! We have lived in our home for 5 1/2 years now and we are just now getting our landscaping done how we want it to look. You have to take it slow doing these things because landscaping is so expensive. Buying flowers is one thing, but you start buying bushes and trees that is another thing. We did end up getting a flowering dogwood tree for only $110.00 and if you have ever looked at tree prices ( for a nice size tree ) it is crazy priced! So we were happy to get this tree and it is medium sized so we are satisfied with it.
It was such a blessing to have my husband off with me for three whole days! He never takes days off and for him to take three days off in a row was wonderful! I even had him planting pots of flowers with me over the weekend! He said he actually enjoyed it. That is my favorite part of planting. I set up a banquet table (those long white tables) and I get my pots out and plant a mix of flowers in each pot. I also do my own hanging baskets and pots for the graves for my dad and my daughter. They turned out really well. Tom and I took them over to the graves on Monday (Memorial Day). I could not believe how many people were over at the graves planting flowers. It was packed with people. You could tell everyone had been at the graves planting because everything looked so beautiful and colorful.
I ended up having an extra day off on Tuesday and was glad because I was exhausted from the weekend. The work was well worth it though. It feels so good to just sit back and enjoy it.
I would love to hear what you all did this holiday weekend. Make comments to let me know or email me.
Love, Shellie
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