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Past Articles
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- Monday, January 12
- Happy Holidays and New Year!
- Friday, December 19
- Thanksgiving 2008
- Tuesday, November 25
- Autumn 2008
- Saturday, September 20
- Fall's Arrival soon!!!
- Sunday, August 31
- August -Travel, School, and Storms
- Tuesday, July 08
- July 4th Holiday
- Monday, July 07
- The Wilds of Wyoming and Montana
- Paul Andrew and Alexa- Growing Like Weeds!
- Thursday, May 22
- Heating up!
- Saturday, May 17
- Disney World - Again!!!
Older articles
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A Birthday Poem to Alexa
Posted by Tina on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 09:21 PM
(12 Reads)
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Tina writes "
Alexa, Alexa how can it be!
My beautiful granddaughter you now are 3!
No longer a baby, so tiny, so small,
You now stand a whopping 37 inches tall!!
With each passing year our love for you grows,
You have such a beautiful smile and look so cute in those bows!
Your interests are varied but there is no doubt,
You love your Disney Friends and computers you easily figure out!
For sure your 3rd birthday party was a blast
I hope you made a big, gigantic wish,
Cause there's so much all of us want to do with you
And one of them is Grandpa teaching you how to fish!
P.S. Until you're ready Grandma will practice with you with plastic fish!
Love you,
Grandma
"
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Spring Break Cruise
Posted by Tina on Friday, April 24, 2009 - 02:12 AM
(11 Reads)
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Tina writes " Our Bahama Cruise on the NCL Sky was over my April Spring Break so the strong winds and rough seas of a March sailing was not expected. Actually, the seas were not all that rough but the high winds kept us out of our first port of call- Freeport. The skies were overcast and kept the high for the day at 68 degrees and I guess going in and out on our balcony cooled the cabin down enough we actually ran our heat in the cabin instead of A.C. We headed to the casino to hopefully not lose too much money but when Gene was on a winning streak we had to cash out. Now the ship was heading in to Nassau a day early for a medical emergency! We start to think that maybe the Sail and Beach Excursion might not be that great with the weather being a bit on the cool side so we changed our excursion to an underwater submarine experience! Well the next morning we head out on Nassau's pier and discover the " Explorer Sub" excursion is cancelled. But like they say in Jamaica " no problem!" Maybe, years ago I would have felt like the cruise was a disaster but it was nice just taking it easy, eating great food, and seeing Rich Purpura again( a comedian we saw on the NCL Sun last year). Plus the
last stop at NCL's island Great Stirrup Cay was picture perfect! The sun was out, the air temperature was around 80 degrees and the ocean water was perfect! Gene had the underwater video camera and I had the underwater digital camera which would take up to 280 pics. I stopped at about 180 and to my surprise and delight about 80% of them were quite nice and in focus. Last year at these same coral heads at Great Stirrup Cay I had many out of focus pics.
We did not get to see Paul and Gloria and the grandchildren after the cruise since they were still in Chicago but at least we saw them before the cruise. Paul Andrew was walking quite well holding your hand- it's just a matter of time before he takes off!!"
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Tallahassee and Titusville- What a Blast!!!
Posted by Tina on Thursday, April 16, 2009 - 02:54 AM
(12 Reads)
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Tina writes "Gene and I have never visited Tallahassee in the springtime and have never seen a live shutlle launch. The visit to Tallahassee was a planned Mom trip -we thought this time of year the weather would be great and as events unfolded the shuttle launch was just plain luck!
We headed up to Orlando to visit Dan staying at our favorite hotel the Radison. The plan was for the three of us to then drive up together to visit Dave and Lori for the weekend. Dan was planning to see the Space Shuttle Discovery launch before we arrived but the launch was postponed with a weekend launch projected.
After a leisurely breakfast we headed north up the Florida Turnpike. On I-10 an unexpected treat- to my delight redbud trees were blooming. I have not seen these trees in bloom since 1990 in North Carolina.The bright reddish pink flowers on this small tree are very showy and eye catching!
We found Dave and Lori's apartment with no problem and to my delight beautiful tall trees were everywhere. Unlike our area trees are not all cut down when homes and apartments are built. As Dave warned the pollen was quite heavy - many of the vehicles left parked during spring break were becoming completely covered in the pollen. To our amazement none of us developed sneezing or watery eyes!
Jack was happy to meet us- though he is a bit timid he cannot resist playing tug of war especially when new toys are provided. As I learned his first mission is to destroy the sqeaker when it is time to rest from all the physical exertion. I was amazed how quickly he accomplishes that task! We headed to the State Capitol soon after arriving since we wanted to go to the top floor to take in the stunning view of Tallahassee and surrounding forests. Even though I do love beautiful palm trees I sometimes miss the tall forests of hardwood trees.After a late lunch at Panera's we headed back to Dave and Lori's place and enjoyed playing cards and sharing some laughs.
Breakfast the next morning was at The Broken Egg. The owners selected a charming old home on a lake for this delightful restaurant that served scrumptious breakfast foods. The azalea bushes were in full bloom during our visit and just like the capitol area there were plenty of azaleas at the restaurant to dazzle the eye!
Lori and I left Dave, Dan, and their Dad at the apartment to work on computer projects and we spent a few hours shopping and getting a pedicure and a manicure. This was only the second time for me and I have to say this is one treat I need to do for myself once in a while.To top it all off Dave and Lori picked a great place for dinner- the Japanese restaurant had wonderful chefs/ entertainers!
Before we knew it Sunday had arrived! I am so glad we got to see how nice Dave and Lori decorated their apartment - if it had been cooler I would have asked for them to light up the real fireplace! After breakfast we headed back to Orlando with Dan and to my delight the Space Shuttle Discovery launch was still on for Sunday, March 15 around 7:45 pm! Paul had just finished his weekend classes in Orlando so with perfect timing we join up at Dan's and then head to Titusville to see the shuttle launch. Even though the traffic got backed up several blocks away from Spaceview Park which is 15 miles from the launchpad we somehow found a parking spot and a viewing position in the park to get a superb view of the shuttle launch. I felt so many emotions as I saw the Discovery rockets ignite - no longer delayed she and her brave astronauts rapidly left Earth leaving behind a trail of color in the sky . I cheered with all the people at the Spaceview Park as she sped away thankful that we were able to witness this proud moment and truely spectacular human achievement!
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Paul Andrew's First Birthday Party!!
Posted by Tina on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 06:56 PM
(11 Reads)
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Tina writes " On January 31st the Armand's celebrated Paul Andrew's First Birthday with a big Country Western themed birthday party!! The weather was picture perfect- not a cloud in the sky and 70 degree weather. It was fun dressing up in western garb and seeing everyone at the party! For the special event a petting zoo was provided for the children. I expected maybe a dozen animals but was I surprised! About 6-8 ducks, 10 or so chickens, 2 large domestic geese, 2 piglets, half dozen baby bunnies, 2 baby goats, 1 puppy, 2 kittens were set loose in an enclosure. With the constant motion as the barnyard critters moved about it was difficult keeping count... We had a blast feeding the farm menagerie and trying to video all the clucking, honking, squealing was a hoot. Two very sweet ponies were also brought in for pony rides and Alexa thoroughly enjoyed her first pony ride at her Buies home. Paul Andrew enjoyed the Bounce House and all the animals but he was not interested in a pony ride and let his wishes be known. His expression as his Dad fed the goat a bottle I will never forget. Paul encouraged Alexa to feed the ducks and 2 geese and I was amazed how well she did. Those geese were almost as tall as her!! What a wonderful experience this was for all the children and for the big kids as well!
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January Visit to the Florida Keys!
Posted by Tina on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 05:56 PM
(18 Reads)
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Tina writes " Old Man Winter decided to descend on even South Florida! On January 22 we woke up to 31 degrees in Estero! Before heading down to Marathon we uncovered our orchids, praying the evening temperatures that night would not go as low. Our first night at the Hammocks in Marathon we turned on the heat- got down to the 50's. I guess if we lived in Pennsylvania we would have opened up the glass slider doors out to the balcony and enjoyed the 50 degree night air ..... On Friday morning we drove down to see Bob, Tom, and Anita. The skies were a beautiful blue and the air was dry and in the sun quite lovely. After looking at several of our family videos Bob and I headed out on Anita's front porch and we began to wrap- jewelry that is. Heh, Heh! As always Tom and Anita's plants looked ever so robust in their yard and their tomato plants were so lush and heavily festooned with some really large- baseball sized tomatoes.
On Saturday Gloria and Paul arrived with Alexa and Paul Robert . Paul Andrew had woke up his parents before 6am that morning so we gave Paul and Gloria an hour to nap while we took the grandchildren outdoors to check out the hammocks , iguanas, and the resort grounds. Afterwards, we headed down to Sugarloaf Key and it was instant giggles for Paul Andrew when he saw Corkie playing tug of war with her toys.Bob suggested we go down to the canal and feed the fish some bread. Alexa soon discovered Tom's smaller boat sitting on the dock and decided climbing in and out would be such fun. Of course Paul Andrew had to go on the boat and join his big sister!
Sunday we headed down to Key West and rode the Key West Conch Train and got to play tourists! Paul Andrew and Alexa enjoyed the ride and we were glad we did not go on it late Saturday because the air was still quite brisk even early in the afternoon. We took some pictures at the Key West Aquarium- reminded me of our first visit to Miami and the Florida Keys in 1987- 3 years before we made Florida our home! On the way back to the Hammocks we stopped to see Bob, Tom, and Anita and said our goodbyes to Bob. Next year will be our turn to visit him!"
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