Saturday, August 16, 2008

The DIVA has a rockin' birthday!





The Diva had a great birthday party. Luau theme - with hula hoops, flower bracelets and lots of bling! Swimming, pizza, chips & dip, loud Disney music on the CD player, and the airbrushed cake were enjoyed by all ....... but NOTHING compared to the limo ride! A dear friend who owns a limo service came by and picked us up to go get ice cream. What a sweet birthday gift for the Diva! Saucy little thing - she had suggested a limo ride for her birthday and then proceeded to remind the owner of "Simply Elegant" of the date of her birthday! She's not shy in the least ..... she's even been referred to as a "sassy girl" by a former fiance!


The girls' eyes were as big as saucers when they saw the limo pull up. I've never had a classier ride to the Dairy Spot, and the employees there were all tickled when they were invaded by squealing little girls (can anybody squeal like a 7 year old?).
Truly a birthday to remember. For all of us!

All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia!




What a great trip to be able to travel to Philadelphia by myself to have 4 whole days with Ca-ca! and what a whirlwind.......but I think we got a lot accomplished. She is changing jobs, so of course we had to visit the new campus. And of course Mom had to help pack up the old office.
And.....ta da! The first purchase of a brand new car. She did quite well for herself in choosing the car and we exhausted (quite literally) all the small cars in a 75 mile radius of Philly while we were exhausting the salespeople who had the priviledge of helping us during which time we exhausted ourselves as well.


We ate at Geno's famous Philly cheese steak joint (ok, but not up to the reputation), and a diner in Exeter, PA (specifically recommended to us by a really nice Exeter police officer -- a long story -- just a suggestion - always, always check first if you can turn left when the GPS says the restaurant is on the left) with great omelets, "home fries" [i.e., hash browns] and LOUSY sweet tea [I should have known better]. We also went to a great corner bakery that reminded me a lot of Panera Bread (yummmm!). I also got to try a water ice ... but ended up with a chocolate custard waffle cone that was big enough to share with several people. No wonder I gained 4 pounds while I was there!!!
We also had the opportunity to attend church at Calvary Chapel in north Philadelphia. I finally got to meet the pastor we've been listening to on the radio and internet and what a wonderful worship experience. If you are ever in the Philadelphia area, be sure and visit this church. The pastor said they get visits from over 40 countries on their website.
But the best part for me was the time spent with my oldest. When she comes home, I have to share her (and she has to spread herself thin) with the brothers and sisters who are convinced that she hung the moon. I'm so very, very proud of her --- it truly doesn't matter how old they get, they're still your baby!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Training camp? Hot, but fun!





We did something different this morning -- visited the Falcon's Training Camp in Flowery Branch! As we were driving down, I thought how we are so very fortunate to have such a wonderful facility and the home of the Atlanta Falcons right here in Hall County, Georgia.

Thankfully, it was in the morning and we were perched on the side of the hill enjoying the breeze as we watched the scrimmage. We watched all four quarterbacks take snaps and observed the defense running drills as well. What a treat to see D.J. Shockley, Keith Brooking, Matt Ryan and lots of others. The bookworm and the baseball baron got lots of autographs -- but I think the Diva got more than anyone!
It was funny to see how small the kickers were compared to the defensive linemen---you see the difference on TV but it really shows up in person. They had several activites for the kids and it proved to be a well-thought out opportunity for the fans.
Let's just hope they give us something to cheer about this season!