Friends

I've been thinking this week a lot about how blessed I am to have such wonderful people who call me friend. Today, I am doing a little "blog ketchup" because I'm a little behind in my posting. So below are photos and captions of various gatherings of FRIENDS.

I LOVE my Life group from church. This was our picnic a couple of weeks ago. Pictured are Sheila and Chris, Dan and Jenny, my hubby, Ed, and of course Mayo-Chris' guide dog. WONDERFUL people (and dog) that I am so fortunate to have in my life.


This past weekend, I stayed at this beautiful hunting lodge which belongs to Christia Ashmore and her husband. I was there for our church's women's retreat with these beautiful ladies. I got to spend the whole weekend with old friends while making several new ones. I had a fabulous time!

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that today is my grandmother's 82nd birthday! I LOVE you Granny Margaret! Happy Birthday!

You say tomato, I say....

Just check out my tomato plant. Yes...that is ONE plant. It is HUGE! It has grown up and over our picket fence. Looks more like a shrub. It has a bunch of little tomatoes on it. Don't ask me what variety it is, because I have no idea. We planted it from seed. They are great little salad tomatoes. In the beginning, I thought the green ones would never turn red. The neighbors could have heard me shout when we finally had one to pick! Now we bring in several each day. Most are about the size of a grape. I hope to have a couple of tomato plants next year. Hopefully we will have some rain soon so it doesn't die. (Yep, I know you're thinking it looks like it needs a drink!) FUN stuff!

Labor Day Weekend

I know...I am late posting this, but gosh we have been so busy lately, and this week is gonna be even busier, so I'd better get this done. I LOVE some of the fun photos I'm gonna share. On Labor Day weekend, we took the kids to Atlanta for an overnight excursion. Though I enjoyed it, I don't know that I would visit on that particular weekend again. First of all, the Alabama vs. Virginia Tech game was being played in town. Football fans had us packed like Sardines on the MARTA (which my kids loved, by the way). Then there was the annual black gay pride weekend at our hotel, and oh...did I mention Dragon Con, the Sci-Fi convention was being held a few blocks away? It looked like Halloween on every corner!
Anyway, we had 2 free tickets to the World of Coca Cola. We did that the first day. I am really surprised my kids liked it as much as they did....Matthew especially. It amazes me how much he likes museum type places at such a young age. On the second day, we went to Zoo Atlanta. I have to be honest, it was not my favorite part of the trip. While I love zoos in general, I think the Riverbanks Zoo in SC is much better and not so crowded! At one point I told Ed that if I bumped into one more person I was going to scream! And it was HUMID that day! We did have some fun, and I got some decent pictures with my Canon. Below are some highlights from the weekend.

Yes, I did manage to get in ONE photo!

the Great outdoors!

We are absolutely loving this weather! It is just gorgeous, especially in the morning and late evening. The only downside is the water in our pool is getting too COLD to swim in already! Unbelievable! Our dogs are loving the cooler weather. I've never seen them play so much! We too have found other outdoor activities besides swimming. On Tuesday, Ed decided it was time to take Matthew (age 7) outside and remove the training wheels from his bike. It is time he learned, Ed said. Next thing I knew, the doorbell was ringing. When I opened it, Ed was standing there saying, "Look at that!" Matthew had gotten on his bike (with no training wheels) and just took off! NO BIG DEAL! I stood there stunned. He never fell once! Now if he'll just learn to tie his shoes, we'll be set! LOL!
Below are some photo highlights of the boy free of training wheels! Hope you all have a happy Labor Day,free of, well...Labor!

"Let go, Daddy!"

Getting in the Mood

for Christmas, that is. Yeah...already. Usually, when I see stores start stocking Christmas items in August, I'm the first to say Phooey, this is crazy! But for some reason, I'm already thinking ahead. And one of the things that got me in the mood was this video. Check it out. Awesome message...and I LOVE Veggie Tales! (Turn off my Playlist to hear.)