It's Official

Andy just called me and let me know it's official; Kaleigh will be born on May 15 at about 5 PM. Nikki has to be at the hospital at 1430 and the c-section is suppose to start at about 1630 so anytime after that will be the time. Can't believe they schedule them so late in the day but I guess that is the way it is and we will be there.

Back to our day. Riley and I were moving kind of slow this morning. He wanted to sit in my lap for quite a while and I wasn't going to argue with that. So we sat there for about a half hour and watched Good Morning America. Then it was time for breakfast and after that we headed to the lake front for our walk.

Figured we would miss GG and Jagee and we did but we did see them as we were turning onto Lake Shore and they were turning onto Brown Chapel. The parking lot where we always park only had two empty slots so that proved we were later than normal.

There is something going on at that end of the lake front. There are the silt screens everywhere. Wonder what they are doing?

It started out kind of cool and very breezy. Made it so we couldn't see anything in the pond, so don't know if the gators were there or not. To many ripples to be able to tell. Got to the center parking lot and in drives GG and Jagee, so we talked to them and caught up all the excitement in their lives.

On the way back to the car it started getting warmer and Riley took his coat off and I only ran over it once with the stroller. Stopped at Sonic on the way home.

Riley took a good nap today and this is what greeted me when I went in to get him after his nap. Wish I could say that this was bed head but it is the way his hair looked all day. I brushed it and tried to get it lay down but it was just going to do it's own thing today. How can you not love this face?

Ate lunch and Riley really wanted to go out for another walk, so I gave in and said we could go for a short one. But it ended up being longer then I thought it would be, because it was really nice outside. This was our view as we walked next to the pond toward the office.


Riley was kind of disappointed when we just walked by the playground and didn't stop. Dan has been spoiling him by taking him to the park whenever he stops by.

Got back to the apartment and Riley kept pointing to something up on the bar and the only thing I could see were the nail clippers. So I set him on my lap facing me and we cut his nails. I would do a couple and they he would try to make the clippers work and I would do a couple more. Finally got them all cut but it took about 15 minutes. There was no fighting or pulling away so this seemed to work pretty good. Don't know if it will next time but I'll have to give it a try.

Spent most of the evening doing just one lesson of the digital class. I have got to get my new computer that will have some storage space, memory, and speed. Should be ordering it in the next couple of weeks. Can't wait.

Unusual Day

Riley was a two fisted eater this morning. He didn't get much of the yogurt into his mouth but he had a good time trying. I had to keep taking one of the sticky spoons from him and give him a couple of spoonfuls and then he would want both spoons again.

Nikki had her doctor's appointment this morning and they decided her blood pressure was a bit high so she should come back in the afternoon to see the doctor then. This is one that will actually perform her c-section.

So I got a couple of hours off. Came home and finished up balancing the checking accounts and then worked on my week 4 lesson of my digital class. It was really last week I should have been doing this but I had a certain picture in mind and I didn't get it until this past weekend. I got about a third of the way through the lessons.

When I got back to the apartment Riley was just getting up from his nap. I gave him lunch, mac and cheese. Then we played for a while. Dan called and said he was going by Home Depot and would pick up another bag of mulch for the little garden. So he stopped by and spread the mulch and then he and Riley went out for a walk. While they were gone Nikki got back from the afternoon appointment.

They decided her blood pressure was only a little bit high and not enough to get worried about right now. Also found out the Kaleigh Grace should put in an appearance on either the 15th or 16th of May. They only schedule c-sections on Thursday and Friday. So that is a little earlier then we thought it would be. Doesn't hurt Nikki's feelings at all.

Got home and did some more work on the week 4 lesson. Plus I have been playing a game of Scrabble with Andy on Facebook, so we have been going back and forth with that.

Chris came home for a while. Speaking of Chris he got his tax rebate today. So I guess everyone else should be on the look out for theirs. He wasn't home long, had to leave because his store sold out of the Grand Theft Auto and he had to pick some up from another store and take them to his. But it didn't take him long because he just drove in the driveway. Not use to him being home this much.

Back to check on the Scrabble game.

Blurry Riley

I arrive at Nikki and Andy's just in time to see the sunrise and take a picture from their parking lot. I'm sure this will only last another couple of weeks or so. But I'm enjoying it now.



I spend a lot of time taking pictures that look like this. They are either blurry, very close up, or Riley looks down just as I snap the shot. Most of the time time he is trying to get to the camera so he can see himself in the preview screen. He can look at those pictures for forever.


This isn't a bad shot, just that he is looking down and away from me. The best ones I usually get now are the ones I take on our walks and he is strapped in the stroller. Or when There is someone else around who can distract him away from the camera.





















I know it looks like he is just sitting there but really he is starting to run to me.


We had a pretty good day. Nice morning for a walk, breezy and still cool. So we took a longer walk, retraced our steps a bit just so we could stay outside longer.

Riley has another runny nose and starting to get a bit horse. He went down for his nap earlier than normal so he was up by noon. Spent the afternoon playing and he wasn't going to let me pick up the mega blocks. He wasn't playing with them but they couldn't be in the bag. All the other toys could be picked up but not them.

Just as I was leaving Chris arrived to drop off a game with Andy. He went in to play with Riley for a bit and I headed home. Got a nice surprise, Dan had dinner all cooked. Chicken, rice and corn, it was delicious.

I'll be going to bed early tonight, I was tired all day for some reason. As I'm going to bed, Chris will be leaving for work. Midnight release of Grand Theft Auto tonight so the Game Stops will be open for a few hours.

A Day In Pictures

We headed out a little earlier than usual for our walk and got to see the sunrise, a few more clouds would have made for a more interesting photo but this is still beautiful.

Mama and babies were fending off an alligator about 5 feet away, she was just quack, quack, quacking away and the gator finally turned around and headed to the other side of the pond.

We walked out to the point by the kids playground and saw all sorts of things. This limpkin was just hanging out on one of the light poles.

Not sure if these are moorhens or what but they had three babies, the black ball in front of them is one baby.

After our walk we went to Sonic and who is pulling in as we are leaving but Tammy, Tom, and Luke. So we drive back around and talk to them for a bit and decide to head over to their house after we stop by ours to pick up some stuff.

Looked at a bunch of Tammy's pictures and heard all about the trip. Sure sounds like fun and we wish we had been along for the ride. We now know this is definitely on our list of cruises to take.

Then we headed over to Andy and Nikki's. I hadn't taken many pictures of Nikki pregnant this time and I wanted to get a few. Plus I took some of Andy and Nikki with Riley. Our main purpose for going over was to help Andy with a surprise he had planned for Nikki. She was going out with Ashley for the afternoon. And this is what we did:

Went to Home Depot and got some flowers, dirt, and mulch and started a little garden in their entry way. It looks really good and there is room to expand when we see what does well in that area.

When we were all done and driving away, I looked in the rear-view mirror and this is what I saw on the side of the car. So I had to stop and get a picture. It was very beautiful, some kind of dragonfly. Looked kind of like a tiger.

Once we got home watched the race and for the second day in a row it was a pretty exciting race with ending you didn't see coming.

Now the trivia for the day. What happened over the course of the summer ten years ago?

Can you believe it has been that long since Mark Macguire and Sammy Sosa had those record homerun seasons. That was one of the most exciting seasons in baseball I can remember. Of course the Red Sox winning two World Series was pretty exciting too.

Gators, Gators, Everywhere Gators

Well today was definitely filled with wildlife. All the baby sandhill cranes are getting big, looking more like birds than dinosaurs. This is the single chick that lives down by the center parking lot. The ones at the other end of the pond have picked up another chick so that pair now has three chicks. Don't know where the third one came from, maybe they chicknapped him.


The gator population has increased by leaps and bounds. Don't know where they keep coming from but today we saw ten, that's right ten. They were all two - three feet long. Most were on the far edge of the pond nearest the lake but a couple were in the center of the pond.


I think it is kind of interesting how they just seem to hang in the water with their head floating on the surface.

After our walk went to WalMart, Sonic, and Publix. Not much new or exciting at any of these places. Then it was home to do chores. Dan took care of the water conditioner and fertilizing the yard. I worked on uploading more picture, I'm now halfway through March. Almost all caught up. I guess this Thursday I will be working on April's pictures, where did the month go?

We went to lunch at Taco Bell and arrived just when everyone else did. So we all ended up waiting for our food to be made. I love mexican food, doesn't matter where it comes from. Just easier to figure the points for Taco Bell or Chipotles.

The cruisers are cruisers no more. By the time I post this they will be in the air heading back to sunny Florida. When I talked to Tammy they were in San Diego waiting for their flight. Can't wait to hear all the stories and see the pictures. Have already heard one story and leave it to Tom to provide a great vacation tale.

We will be heading up to the airport to drop of the Expedition so they will have a ride home.

What a Way to Start the Day

Pretty quiet day. Started out with a beautiful sunrise. Amazing how it changes from day to day.

Didn't have much to do this morning, just Weight Watcher's where I was down .4. Good thing I got my haircut yesterday or I might not have lost anything. Didn't get in as much walking this past week so I will have to remedy that.

No errands today because I did everything yesterday so we were back to the apartment just before 0900.

Today Riley dumped all his toys in a pile and then sat in the middle of them and played for a long time. We also colored but Riley makes it difficult, he always wants the crayon that I'm using so I don't get much done.

Went right down for his nap today and slept for about 2.5 hours. More of the same playing this afternoon. Although he did come up with a new game, how much stuff can we put up the leg of Gramma's shorts. Quite a bit actually and this kept him occupied for a good long time.

Not much else going on today. So everyone have a good weekend.

What a Day

I knew today was going to be busy but I didn't realize how much I would get done. I was going to start the day by coloring my hair(I know, you're saying to yourself "She colors her hair, I can't believe that), when I went to get the hair coloring I found that I didn't have any. I always have a box under the sink. So I had to skip that.

My next task is my most hated household chore, DUSTING. I put it off as long as I can which means there is generally about an inch or so covering every flat surface. I did everything in the living room, computer room and miscellaneous things in the other rooms. Didn't feel like taking all the Santa's down and doing them.

My big goal for today was to get as many of the pictures I have edited over the last three weeks uploaded to Scrapbookpictures.com. That was something I worked all day on. I had set up all the albums yesterday so that made things go much smoother today. Got all of January and half of February done. Will finish up next week.

I also went into town (is that what you call going to WalMart). First I got my hair cut, the girl took me at my word when I said I wanted it short. I think this is the shortest I have ever had it. It's about an inch at the longest. Just means I can go longer until my next haircut.

Then it was to the Post Office to check the vacationer's mail.

I was going to get gas next but the gas station at WalMart was crazy so I decided to go after I went into WalMart. Picked up a few things including my hair coloring. Had a hard time finding my shade, wonder if they are phasing it out or changing their numbering system again.

The gas station hadn't cleared up but I had to get gas so I just sat in line. One of the pumps wasn't taking credit cards and that always causes problems.

Stopped at Sonic on the way home for a diet coke.

Got my hair colored, vacuumed and did all the laundry. So you can see I was a very busy girl.

Just wanted to wish John a Happy Birthday again.

Look Who's the Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday John. Hope you have a great day and get all the presents you want. We love you.

Little Green Heron

When we went out for our walk this morning Riley just had to take a blanket. He really wanted to take the big Winnie-the-Pooh one from Kim but I convinced him to go with one of his smaller ones otherwise there wouldn't have been enough room in the stroller.

We were walking around the apartment complex when we happened upon this bird. Just singing away minding his own business when along came another bird to chase him away and take over the hight spot in the tree. I just happened to catch this shot.





























Andy has been describing this bird to me wanting to know what it is and this is the first time I've seen it. I knew that this was a Little Green Heron . Pretty interesting how it can pull it's neck right down into it's body or stretch it out really long.

We also walked to Walgreens and found the Cherry M & M's that Dan likes and they were on sale.

Riley has always been a dancer but today I saw a new one when the Geico commercial with the dancing caveman came on. His hands went up over his head, a dip of the knees and a swivel of the hips. I started laughing, Riley laughed and he did it again. Will have to get the camera out that does video and try to catch him doing this dance. It was to cute.

Another day going down late for his nap. It was almost noon but he was out like a light. Slept until just before three and wasn't to interested in his lunch. I'm sure he will eat sometime.

Dan's medium day turned into not getting home until almost 1800. Just one of those days that everything took longer they it should have.

He Loves His Food

Today was a walk along the lake front and Riley learned a new trick. We were walking (well, technically he was riding) when a couple of ladies walked by that Riley found very interesting. So he whipped his whole body around to the left so he could watch as they walked away. Well when he did this his right foot landed on the wheel and caused the stroller to pull to the left. Riley thought this was very funny, so he kept doing it. The first couple of time I tried to control the stroller and keep it going straight but then I decided to go with the flow. So we started doing circles and that made us laugh ever more. It was pretty funny and thank goodness Riley forgot about doing it after about 50 circles so we could finally walk in a straight line again.

We were also pretty excited because we saw two alligators. We never see them at this time of day because they are in the shadows on the other side of the pond but today one was in the middle and the other was at the end of the pond near the parking lot. I tried to get them to come closer by offering up Riley as a meal but they must have thought he wouldn't be tender enough. I wonder how big they have to get or what they have to do before they will get moved. I like seeing them right now but they are still very small.

Here is a pretty grainy picture, had to crop it way down so you could see the gator, looks like the two foot one.


Got back to the apartment and it was time for snack, grapes again today. It was a good thing I packed up more because Riley really does love his fruit.

Saw a story on Good Morning America and now I know my constant ramblings to Riley are really good for him. The more words a baby to toddler hears the higher their IQ may be so I'll just keep talking away. This doesn't count tv has to be a real person and it doesn't matter if I just read Hop on Pop fifty times everyone word I say counts.

For some reason today Riley didn't want to go down for his nap. He would go down fine but 5 or 10 minutes later he would want to get up. The first time he came out and laid on the couch for a while and looked like he wanted to go to sleep so back to bed and he wasn't going to go down this time either. This time he was only up for a few minutes before the yawning and eye-rubbing began so back to bed and the third time was the charm.




Had some Mac and Cheese for lunch and really enjoyed it as you can see here.


When he sleeps until 1400 it makes for a short afternoon but we still got plenty of play time in.

Monday, Monday

Brought some red grapes for Riley and me to share today. If I hadn't put them away Riley would have had them all gone at breakfast. Will have to bring more tomorrow.

Decided to go back to Burlington Coat Factory to get a couple more of the bath mats I bought yesterday. Really liked the way the one looked when I put it down this morning so I will replace all the others I have in the bathroom.

We also went to the WalMart on 535 to pick up a couple of things and walk around. Saw lots of tourists with the telltale sunburn of visitors from the north. Most of them looked very painful.

On the way home Riley fell asleep and stayed asleep when I put him in his crib.

As I was driving this morning I realized today was Kim's first day back at achool. Hope she had a good day and gets back into the swing of things in no time.

Riley took a good two hour nap and was ready for lunch when he go up. Had some raviolis, a slice of cheese and 4 doritos. You can still see the remnants of the chips on his face in the picture. I don't know how I could wash his face and miss that much.

Decided to go out for a walk, it was hot but not humid so it was a pretty nice time. We see lots more people on our afternoon walks then we do on our morning walks.

Got back to the apartment and colored for a while. Riley let me know he was done when he handed me the crayons and pointed to the place that we store them and I put them away, he also handed me the coloring book and pad. After that we built some towers and played with his other toys.

By this time Andy was getting home. He showed the new stroller all put together and how it works, quite the contraption.

Quiet evening at home. I finally got around to uploading the last two weeks of pictures of Riley to Kodak. Missed the first week because of Atlanta and yesterday I just forgot.

When You're Right, You're Right

Well I have to bow down to the new bird expert, Andy. I thought he was just pulling my leg and made up a name for the bird but he was right and knew all the particulars about it. So here's to you Andy, I will never doubt you again, or at least not until I think you are just making it up.

Here is the other layout I completed yesterday. Took me longer then I thought it would but that was because I wasn't happy with the way I did the picture of me the first time and had to take a step back. Luckily I didn't have to go back to step one and start over. This is one of those times I really wish digital cameras had been around for much longer then they have. More then half of the pictures are ones I have scanned in and had to go in search of because my system for storing digital pictures has just gotten organized since about June of last year. Don't forget if you want a better view of the layout just click on it.


Only had one thing to do today, went to Burlington coat factory in the Osceola Square Mall with Andy and Nikki to get a double stroller. It is a nice and the infant car seat from Riley will fit on this stroller.

We stopped for lunch and an ice cream at Dairy Queen on the the way home. Riley was not wanting to eat anything until we got our ice cream and he decided it all looked good and tried everyones. He fell asleep on the way home and went into his crib when we got there. Hope he took a nice long nap.

Spent the afternoon just taking it easy, first time in a while that we have done that, felt pretty good.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend and are ready for the work week ahead of them.

Three Gator Day

For some reason we didn't think we would see much at the lake front today, we were a little later than usual and there seemed to be more people walking today. We were wrong. Didn't see any sandhill cranes but hit the jackpot on alligators. This was the first one of the day.

Second one and much smaller then the ones we have been seeing so maybe he is the new one in the bunch.

The third on was to quick and disappeared before I got the camera up to take a picture. I was getting spoiled because the other two let us get really close before they swam away.

Saw this mama duck with two babies, wonder if it is the same one that dad saw last week. Because if it is, it sure doesn't pay to be a baby duck around here. There were eight or nine babies with that mama.

Now we need the bird experts that are out there, what kind of bird is this. If you know, leave a comment.

After all that excitement we were off on errands. First stop was Sonic, we were both thirsty and Dan hadn't had breakfast yet so he got something to eat also. Then it was off to BJ's, we went through BVL and hit every single light on the way.

Last stop of the day was Publix. Mostly needed salad supplies and lots of things were on sale, buy one, get one free and you can't beat those prices.

Got home and I have been on the computer ever since. Andy called to find out where my blog entry was and I told him I had to finish up this weeks lesson in my digital class. I finished the first page and will go on to the second page when I finish here.

I also finished up this page on our trip to Atlanta, I like the way it turned out. Lots of picture on a two page layout.

Back to the old grindstone. I'm on a roll with the pages I'm working on now and don't want to lose the momentum. Hopefully you will be seeing it tomorrow.

Quiet Friday

We had a pretty quiet day today. Did our WalMart shopping first and then it was over to Weight Watchers. I'm down 1.6 lbs this week, guess I should eat out more on the weekends because that is what I did last week.

On the drive back to the apartment remembered that I wanted to go to the bank and of course when I got there the Loomis truck was at the ATM. Decided to go to Sonic and get a diet coke to kill some time. I did everything I possible could, got my soda, cleaned my purse and sorted through my wallet and the Loomis truck was still there. Decided it could wait until tomorrow morning.

Got back to the apartment and unloaded everything. I have created a monster, Riley loves his crayons and if I try to put them away he gets very upset, so that is what we did all day.

He went down for his nap at about 1030 and didn't wake up until about 1400. Decided we needed to get out of the house so we take a short walk around the apartment complex, really not going to be able to take afternoon walks for very much longer. Pretty soon we will be going out at 0700 just so it will be a little cool.

Got home just before 1700 and Dan was in the mood for pizza, so I placed an order online and we headed out to pick it up. It was ready when we got there and no crowds had formed yet.

Chris graced us with his presence for about 20 minutes and then he was off again. He is on vacation until about Wednesday or so. Doubt that we will see much more of him. Don't think that I mentioned but he got his annual review at work and it was very good and he got a pay raise to go along with it.

Think I'm going to watch a couple of my shows I have recorded and then call it a night.

Everyone have a great weekend.

What Drives a Cat Crazy?

Well in our house it's two sandhill cranes standing less than three feet away and not being able to do anything about it. I know Juan was thinking, "If only that sheet of glass wasn't there, I'd be having crane for dinner."




Not much else exciting went on today. Just trying to get things done. I didn't go through March pictures until today so I didn't finish editing all of them yet but I'm about halfway through so I should be able to finish up this weekend.

Did finish a couple of scrapbook pages. Got the laundry done and scrubbed the kitchen floor. Don't know who usually does it but she sure did fall down on the job, looks much better now.

Dan got home early today so we took a ride over to Tammy and Tom's to do the litter boxes. We saw Max and Kiwi but Boo was nowhere to be seen. I'm sure he was in the closet but he blends in to well to be seen. Luke was moving slow, must have woke him up from his afternoon nap.

Back to editing pictures, maybe I'll finish them up tonight.

Why I Hate to Go to the Doctors!

Finally got our pictures from the Aquarium and World of Coke scanned in and here they are.



Riley got up just as I arrived this morning and he was raring to go, as always. We were ready pretty early, so took a ride over to the Post Office to get mail for the cruising folks. We walked around the WalMart block, only took us about an half hour so it was a pretty short walk.

Spent the morning playing and coloring, he really likes the crayons.

Now we start in on the ugly part of our day. Riley had a Doctor's appointment at 1140 and I tried to keep him up from his nap but that didn't work (never does). So I put him down at 1030 only to have to get him up at 1100. Changed him and loaded him in the car. Got to the office about 10 minutes before the appointment. Had to wait about 45 - 50 minutes and this is when it got really ugly. Every time the doctor came near Riley he screamed, never seen him act this way. But we finally made it through the getting weigh and the examine. Riley weighs 25 lbs 6 oz and is very healthy. The cold and cough he has is just that and his lungs are clear (we were concerned about that). Didn't take long to do all this and we were heading home 1243. Riley was still a bit upset, but quieted down on the ride home.

When we got home I put him to bed and he rolled right over and went to sleep. And boy did he sleep until 1615 which was when Andy got home. So I had a pretty quiet afternoon.

Crayons

Today was a late day because Nikki had a doctor's appointment, only 5 1/2 weeks to go.

This must be our week to have to get in the car and go somewhere. Today it was back to the house again. Forgot I was putting the pork tenderloin in the crockpot for Andy and Nikki's dinner. So had to run to the house for some of the ingredients. Still can't believe I forgot. I hate making short trips like this because Riley really fusses when he has to get right back in the carseat but he always quiets right down and he did again today.

Got back to the house and pulled out the crayons and paper and we drew and colored. Riley really had more fun lining the crayons up and putting them in the box and taking them out.



After doing that for a while he decided it was nap time. He goes to his bedroom door and I say "Are you ready for a nap?" and he bangs on the door. This only happens every now and then but when it does I know he is ready to go to sleep.

Had a nice long nap and when he got up we went out for our walk. It was still pretty cool out so it was very enjoyable. Saw the ducks getting feed and watch them for a while.

By this time Riley was ready for lunch. He was very hungry again today. Filled up on a grilled cheese, the other half of his breakfast waffle, fruit cocktail and some wagon wheels. I don't know where he puts it all.

Got down the crayons again and he played with them until he decided they would make a good snack and I put them away. I'm sure they will come out again tomorrow, he really likes using them.

Our afternoons go by very fast when we take our walk then. So it seems like Andy gets home much sooner.

I got home and put some potatoes in the oven to bake. Dan didn't call to say he was on his way home until almost 1800 and he was up in Deland so it would be awhile before he got home.

Tired

Boy it was pretty hard to get out of bed this morning, besides being tired it was just plain cold in the house. But I did it and was on my way. Riley felt the same way and slept past 0730.

We were moving kind of slow so we didn't get started on our walk until almost 0900. Took a couple of pictures and this was the one I liked best.

We had made it around the pond where we saw this turtle high up on the bank and we disturbed him. He practically flew into the pond, he wanted away from us so bad.

Dan called and needed us to run to the house because he forgot a number he needed to do a job. We weren't far from the apartment so we headed there and got the keys and we were on our way. Took me a few minutes to find the right piece of paper and then we were on our way back to the apartment.

Riley wasn't very happy, he was tired and nothing was going his way so I put him down for his nap. Of course right after he laid down they started mowing the grass and that made it hard for him to fall asleep but he finally did conk out. Only lasted about 1.5 hours, he needs more but I'll take what I can get.

He was still a bit cranky when he woke up so we went out and finished our walk and it was just the thing to calm him down. I really like it when the apartment complex is flying their flag, it looked really nice today.

Played for a while and then he was ready for lunch. I was getting him a piece of cheese to tide him over while I made lunch and he reached behind me and grabbed one of the glass containers off the door. Before I could get it away from him he threw it on the floor. What a mess but I got it all cleaned up with only one small cut on my finger and none on Riley.

Gave him his cheese, then some ravioli, wagon wheels, and a waffle. He still wouldn't let me take the tray away from his chair so I made another waffle and that finally filled him up. Guess he is making up for not eating a lot this weekend.

By this time Andy was on his way home so my day was coming to an end. Need to go home and go to bed.

We're Back

Another good sleep night and we really needed it. Finally dragged ourselves out of bed just before 0700. Got cleaned and packed and loaded our stuff into the Expedition.

I was looking through my pictures, looks like some good shots but we will know for sure when I see them on the computer.

Just crossed my mind, Mum, Dad, Tammy, and Tom should be having a really good time. Their first port call is tomorrow, should be exciting.

Today we have a bright sunny day, yesterday was kind of gray and overcast but we never got caught in the rain just a few sprinkles.

After putting our stuff in the car we were walking back into the hotel and looked up and who did we see but Andy and Riley waving and smiling at us.

Dan and I went in to eat our breakfast and it was pretty crowded again but thinned out while we were eating. When we were done walked over to the mini-mart to get ice. By this time Andy, Nikki, and Riley were down eating breakfast so we went up and got Riley's bed to load up because it needed to go under a couple of things in the back. Joined the crew while they ate breakfast. When they finished Andy and Dan got the rest of the luggage and we were on the road at 0859.

Started out and the traffic seemed a bit heavy but it lightened up and the next three hours went by pretty fast. Most everyone slept so it was pretty quiet. We stopped at the Florida Welcome Center. Stretched our legs and let Riley run around a bit. Back in the car with Dan driving to search for a place to have lunch. We ended up having to wait until we got south of I-10 which I kind of figured would happen but it was worth the wait. Went to Arby's and everyone had a good meal. Although Riley did eat just grapes and curly fries. He was very disappointed when the grapes ran out.

After lunch we got back on the road to look for some cheaper gas, the price at the lunch exit was $3.55 and that was the most expensive we had seen on the trip.

Did a survey to find out everyone's favorite part of the aquarium. Andy's was the big tank with the whale sharks. Of course there was lots more in that tank as you can see here:

Here are two of the whale sharks, there was another one in the tank but could never get all three in the same shot.

Another shot of one of the whale sharks. Of course the people who work at the Aquarium knew their names and can tell them all apart.

Nikki's favorite was the pregnant zebra shark. We asked to be sure that she was pregnant and not just our imaginations. By asking just one question we learned so much. Spring had come to the Aquarium and many of the fish were pregnant or had just given birth and for the most part all were doing well.

Dan's was the jelly fish display, which was very interesting. The lighting was low so the water looked very blue and there were lots of jelly fish in the tank.

I think it looks like this was one of Riley's favorites also.


I really enjoyed the touch tank with the sea anemones, they are alway so gracefully.


For some reason gas didn't seem to drop in price much so we just picked an exit and luck out because the gas station we picked had a Dairy Queen so we all got dessert. Gas still ended up being $3.53. Next stop was home.

This drive also took us 7.5 hours, we couldn't have done that if we tried. Dropped Andy, Nikki and Riley off. Dan and I went to Publix to get salad stuff and then it was home.

I spent the rest of the evening going through picture, catching up on my blog and doing 3 loads of laundry. I'm ready for bed.

It was a great weekend, not a trip I would like to make every weekend but once in a while it wouldn't be bad. I thing our next few trips will be closer to home.