Girls' Trip to FL 2011 (Pt.1)

For the last several years my family has enjoyed a "girls' trip" in the late spring. Some years we go to Schlitterbahn Water Park and sometimes it is Florida. This year it is Florida!! We are spending a week on the Emerald Coast in the town of Seaside. This is a beautiful community that hugs the shoreline and it is just gorgeous!

We are 10 girls in number this year: Me and my 4 daughters, my aunt Cindy, her sister Ann, Ann friend's Debbie, and my sister-in-law Lynne and her daughter Samantha. We are having a great time not following a schedule, bike riding, enjoying the sun, playing volleyball and just lazing around.

Cynthia, Samantha, and Annalee have dug out a foxhole/condominium in the sand that should win an award. Passersby have gone from observing that there are children digging to stopping and exclaiming, "Oh wow!!" I will include pictures in the next entry. Til then, there is white sand calling my name!!

Katie and her fiddle

Katie is still fiddlin' around. Her teacher is Roberta Rast of the Killdares and she has really been great for/to Katie. I am so excited to find that she has turned the corner from not practicing enough to always having her fiddle close at hand.


She even allowed Kris to record her and post it to YouTube this year! Katie and Emma enertained at a church banquet this spring and Katie is getting ready to repeat her win at the XIT Fiddler's Contest this August.

Catching up for 2011

So much has happened in 2011! Just to catch up...

My brother John and his lovely wife Camille had a beautiful baby girl, Mary Kate. Mary Kate really loved Cynthia!


We are continuing our "Family Day" every month. Some months are "funner" than others!


Emma and I turned the page on our relationship - now she "fixes" me! This is her tabbing my eyelashes.



April brought beautiful weather, fun trips and a great visit with great friends.


Cynthia, Annalee and I had a great time at the Arboretum and at Pine Cove's Mother/Daughter weekend conference.



My very good friends, Janie and Cheryl came for several days for a "work" visit. We almost solved all the world's problems, produced a youtube video for Cheryl's business and went to the arboretum. It was a great time!

March 2011 Snow

Not much to say here, just sharing our pics from the March snow in Dallas. Enjoy!!
The neighbors came over to sled down our frozen driveway - I made all sledders wear bike helmets. I couldn't stand the thought of a concussion!

This hug did not last very long. Katie used this opportunity to slam her sister with snow :)


Jane was not too keen on the cold snow.


Here are our videos of the girls sledding down the icy driveway

Emma's 17th Birthday

Yesterday my oldest daughter turned 17. I can't believe how fast the time has flown! We celebrated by going to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo (just what I would have wanted for my 17th birthday...not!). It was nice to be together with the whole family for the entire day. These times are becoming more and more rare. I am so grateful that all the girls still like us and are not too embarrassed to be seen with us.

We enjoyed a great rodeo and listening to some good western swing music as well. We had a great supper at Fireside Pies (we had never eaten there before) and were amazed at how hungry a day full of walking outside could make us.

Annalee obviously was not as entertained by the rodeo. She decided to add facial hair to every clean-shaven picture in the rodeo program. Pretty good work :)

The best joke of the rodeo: The clown pulled his oversized pants down around his knees and said:"look! I bought some mall-walking pants." Then he started running and asked, "What do you call this?...... An episode of Cops!" I loved it!!!