Deep Sea Fishing Trip

For our second annual Deep Sea Fishing vacation, we celebrated John's 24th and Joshua's 22nd birthday. (Josh was unable change his work schedule (new job) and therefore, unable to attend; however, Gary took his place on the trip.)

Mark, John, and Gary sailed the high seas (and boy was the wind blowing that day!) for a twelve-hour deep-sea fishing excursion. This year, Atlantic Spade Fish was the catch of the day. The men brought home 72 fish and filleted them all.

On the beach in two campsites were MOM and Sam, Cynthia, Eddie, Aicila, Debbie, and Chloe. Eddie, Aicila, and Chloe has such fun in the sand with Sam. Cynthia, Debbie, and I were "beach bums" hanging out all day.

This was a great weekend and we look forward to doing it again next year! We hope to take Josh and Jeremy and their families next time.

"Crabbing" On The Beach

Our favorite nighttime activity on the beach with the kiddos is "crabbing". We bring flashlights and chase (and sometimes catch) crabs on the beach. The light reflects on their eyes and the race is on! Eddie loved finding the crabs. I bought Aicila a little wagon and that entertained her. She pulled the wagon as Mark, John, and Gary picked up crabs. This was Sam's first time 'crabbing' and he was SO EXCITED. We had him on a leash and he was pulling us all over the sand trying to catch the crabs. We had a hard time keeping him at a safe distance. He actually caught a couple of crabs...and they weren't letting go! It was hilarious! Poor thing...the crabs pinched him on the lip and nose a couple of times.

Hair Cuts

After striking an agreement with Jeremy to not cut my hair until his enlistment ended (although he re-enlisted for 4 more years), I cut my hair to shoulder length. Melenda and I went to the beauty shop together to get hair cuts. Here are the before and after pictures:

Joshua Is Recognized For Achievement

Joshua received a certificate honoring his one-year completion and commitment to sobriety. Josh has worked very hard to get his life back on track and we are very proud of him.

Joshua was unable to attend the ceremony due to his new job working offshore. I accepted the certificate in his absence.

Pictured from left to right are:
MOM, Rodney, Melvin, Carrie, Judge Bryan

Krista Feinsod's Modeling Portfolio

Krista is Bonnie & Will's daughter. Bonnie is my first cousin (Aunt Nell's daughter); Krista is my second cousin. Krista is 17 years old and this is her portfolio:

Animal Kingdom

We went to Animal Kingdom on our first day at Disney World. This was the only theme park Mark and I had not visited. Debbie and Gary were so excited to be at Disney World; Chloe, however, was barely able to contain herself! She was 'busting at the seams' and could hardly sleep at night. The anticipation was so great! What a wonderful experience for all of us!

(A picture of us at the airport in Houston. This was the first time for Gary, Debbie, and Chloe to fly.)



(Gary and Chloe with King Louie & Baloo)

(Debbie, Gary, and Chloe in the 'Ant Hill' in the movie, "It's A Bug's Life")

(Gary and Chloe stop to beat the drums overlooking the river.)





(The Train Ride around the park)