Labor Day 2009

This past weekend, Scot, DeAnn, the kids, and her parents invited Tim and me to spend Labor Day weekend with them at Lake Hiwassee. This beautiful lake is located in Murphy, North Carolina in the Nantahala National Forest. It truly is a beauty to behold, none of my pictures do it justice...

Tim is in the process of taking more dive classes, so he decided to get ready to do two 15 minute nitrox dives while at the lake. He also wanted to help DeAnn and Brady with their dive ambitions. So, naturally while getting his gear together, a feline had to make his presence known. Can you find Emmett in the picture below?

Once we got there, the kids were ready to go!! Here Leah is sitting with Tim in all her gear! This little girl means business...

Tim, preparing for his big moment...

And taking the giant leap of faith...

Helping DeAnn learn how to clear her mask...not an easy task I am told.

On Sunday we went to a Flea Market. This was the largest Flea Market I have ever been to. They had absolutely everything under the sun and, then some. It was fun walking around looking at all the wares and talking to the local people.

Here Leah and I are looking at Mood Rings...

And then all the kids wanted Mood Rings, so Mood Rings they got! It was fun watching them all turn colors.

On Monday, before we left to come home, we took one final ride on the pontoon boat. It was an absolutely beautiful day and a wonderful way to end the 2009 Summer Season!

This is me thinking ahead to next summer...

New Toys

Tim and I have so much fun with the cats. And it's a good thing, since that is about all we do, play with the cats...well, it's what we do most of the time. Emmett is fascinated with our television. He loves to sit (as close as he can...) and watch this one particular show we like called Universe on the History Channel. Here he is striking a post...

Bendi is not as interested. She does her own cat thing, but she is always close by!

On occasion, when the cats are good, we get them a new toy. This toy is a scratching post with catnip on it. Here Sam and Emmett are checking it out. They especially love the catnip, which I call Kitty Crack...they go crazy for it!

Jessie is not as interested in toys but he loves to sleep in Tim's lap. Here is his trying to nap as Tim does his computer work. Awww....

Tim and Maverick, having a moment of rest...

And finally, Maverick doing what he does best. Sleeping. Poor thing packs himself into this small cubby in the Kitty Condo...but he's so peaceful and we love him very much!

Hope everyone has a great week and enjoys Labor Day Weekend next week!

Home Sweet Home, with Animals....

Well, I guess at some point vacation has to end and the reality of home sets in...while Tim and I love to vacation, we always, ALWAYS, miss our babies...and this week was little Emmett's first time out on the deck...he had a blast, but he had some company too...here is our handsome ED.

Here Emmett is getting used to the area. He started off on the couch and managed to move around from there...

He found his way to the table, a kitty "no, no" but since it's his first time we over looked that!!

He finally decided to relax on the couch...isn't he just the cutest!! We love our new addition.

Not to be outdone, Jessie wanted some premium mommy time. While I was having my Saturday morning coffee, we decided to have a "moment". He's our old man and we love him very much!

Y'all remember Hagrid, my hermit crab, right? Here is a recent picture of him.

Well, I decided he was bored and lonely so I got him some friends while Tim and I were in Florida.....let me introduce you to Aragog and Fluffy!! Here Hagrid is with his claw around Aragog...they were fast buddies!!

And here is Fluffy...he's the smaller of the three, but he holds his own...

Here is another close up of Aragog.

And some final pictures of Tim and me in Panama City beach. These photos were taken with my cell phone, so they may not be as clear.

Here Tim is posing at the new Pier Park...it's a really nice new shopping area at PCB.

Hope everyone has a great week!!

More Beach Pictures

As promised, here are some more pictures of our trip to Panama City Beach, Florida. On Monday, we had a short morning storm. Not enough of a storm to get Tim and me off the beach however!!

Here we are in front of our hotel, the Holiday Inn Sunspree. We have stayed here several times and just love it. It really is a beautiful hotel.

Me when the storm is about to hit....it was actually really beautiful.

From my beach front seat, I got this picture of a break in the storm area....I love times like this.

After it was all said and done, Tim was soaking up rays reading a book. Yes, Tim was reading!!!

Our last night there, we ate at the Boatyard Restaurant. Here the Pirate Ship is just about to dock...

And this was our view from the dinner table. We are ready to go back!!!

Summer Vacation 2009

Finally this past weekend was our summer trip to Panama City Beach Florida. We spent almost a full week there and really enjoyed ourselves! I always love my trips to the beach. I get to rest and relax and not worry about the everyday life issues. And, like DeAnn said on her blog, there are just too many pictures to post at one time, so they will come in different blogs!

First things first, after 5-6 hours in the car, one gets very hungry and thirsty, so a greatly anticipated visit to Margaritaville is in order! Here is my margarita...isn't she a beauty!

Tim and I did actually order food, which was delicious, but sadly no pictures were taken of that!

Now, with tummies full and a beach calling our name, we just checked in, got our suits out and went directly to the beach...no unpacking for us at this point!

Although it was later in the day, about 4:30 when these pictures were taken, you can tell it was a very beautiful day to be at the beach.

Tim tried his hand at boogie boarding, but the waves were very calm on this day...better luck tomorrow Timmy!

Monday morning we woke up to a beautiful, although stormie day...but not for long, the weather cleared up and we enjoyed the rest of the day. This is the view from our room on the 6th floor.

Now, when relaxing on the beach, you must have ALL the proper beach equipment. That includes, boogie boards, floats, cooler, drinks, food, chairs and umbrella. And how is one suppose to carry all that you ask? Well, with the Wonder Wheeler of course! It's a life saver!

Here Tim is setting up house on our little piece of temporary beach property...ahh, the joys of beach front property!

Next time I will have more pictures. I hope everyone has a great week!