Just Us

Tonight was declared "family night" at our house. Originally Marty was supposed to leave tomorrow for a job at the coast and a fishing trip once the job was completed, but that trip's been postponed. I'm leaving Sunday for camp where my friend Jason and I will be counselors for preteens.









Tonight we decided to just hang out at home and enjoy the pool. We considered building a fire to roast hot dogs but decided doing all that to roast 3 hotdogs seemed a bit much so Heather made us dinner instead. Thanks Heather!

Marty and Heather

Me and my Hunny!

Heather and me.

Heather tried to teach me to do a handstand in the water but I failed miserably, sending her into a fit of hysterical laughter. At least it was entertaining I guess!



When we tired of playing in the water we headed up to the deck to relax. Marty got trigger happy with the camera while I was swinging, enjoying the peaceful evening.

Marty and me relaxing on the porch.

While we were on the deck, the hummingbirds kept us entertained as they flew back and forth from the feeder to the tree. Here I've captured one while it drinks:

This one was waaaaay off in the trees. I only saw him a couple of times. I like that his feathers all stick up just a hair. I call this one "Cheney" in honor of my litte friend Cheney who has a mohawk.

New posts here will be sparse until late next week, but once I return from camp I hope to have plenty of new blog posts!!!

Chillin' at Home with Friends

I told friends today that I was too tired to go anywhere or do anything tonight but laze in the pool and relax on the deck and told them all they were more than welcome to come join us in being lazy for the evening. I guess that must have sounded appealing because they all came over. Even dinner was easy...Marty built a fire and we roasted hot dogs (we seem to do that a lot in the summer don't we??) It is so nice to have friends who don't care if the house isn't perfect or if the dinner is just hot dogs, who just enjoy relaxing and chatting the evening away! The kids had a blast playing in the pool! And kids always like roasting hot dogs. It's probably one of the few times it's ok for them to "play in the fire!" Or maybe, like me, they just know that marshmallows usually follow hot dogs!

As soon as the kids all got in the pool they noticed the 3 baby deer that are always nearby were watching them from the edge of the woods. I love this photo of Riley as she watches the deer, captivated.

Lana and her girls usually bring their bright yellow beach balls with them and all the kids (adults too) love playing with them!

Riley:

Erica and Lana

It is so neat to watch the budding friendship between Riley and Holly.

Holly and Riley

You think Ashley is just a little excited to be here to play in the pool?

Cameron and Heather playing volleyball:

Holly, Ashley and Riley

Time to dry off! We all gathered around the fire Marty was building.

We all enjoyed sitting around the fire and swapping stories.

From the left:

Bill, Denise, Dave, Ashley, Lana, Holly, Erica and Heather

Typical Erica and Heather behavior! Ashley looks like she doesn't know what to think of it but she'll get used to them soon enough! :0)

I know I sure enjoyed my relaxing evening with friends!!!

Water Volleyball and Chillin' with Friends

I am wiped out. I know I will sleep well tonight....if I ever make myself go to bed that is! It has been a busy weekend, but it's been great! But these early mornings and late nights are catching up with me. I bet I don't miss my Sunday nap tomorrow afternoon! :0)



After being up very late last night (this morning!) Marty, Heather and I got up early to drive to Austin to a camera shop. I'd been given a zoom lens that unfortunately doesn't fit my camera but I found a camera shop interested in trading me out of it. I had planned to go there the weekend after VBS was over but didn't feel like it, then it just hasn't worked out to go until today. I was able to come home with a new zoom lens to play with and am a very happy camper! (Except that I saw LOTS and LOTS of "toys" in that shop I sure would have enjoyed bringing home for my camera!) Marty wasted no time getting me out of there. :0) I'm kidding. He was actually very patient and even found stuff he was interested in!




We returned home JUST in time for Heather and I to attend a friend's bridal shower where I wound up taking photos for my friend Paula (mother of the groom to be).



I was so looking forward to coming home and relaxing in the pool this evening! My friend Erica and her family were planning to head to the river to play and I told them they may as well come join us in our pool, it's much closer! So, they did and our friends David and Lana and their girls joined us too. Their girls brought giant smiley face beach balls with them so almost immediately volleyball was on! Kids and adults alike joined in! The pool was a mad dash of bodies and arms sending beach balls flying.

Cameron, Ashley, and Lana are on the far team.

Riley and Heather (and Erica not shown) are on the team whose backs we see.

Marty and Dave were the posts keeping the "net" in place.

I'm not sure where the ball is, or whether she got it, but Heather sure went after it here!

I got out for a while to snap photos and of course since I was out of the pool that automatically made me the ball retriever. I'm sure those balls spent more time outside the pool than in it!

When I got back in, I joined right in the game:

Cameron, Lana, Ashley and Holly.

And of course there are some very goofy shots of us as we went after the balls! Marty snapped this goofy shot of me.

Like mother, like daughter? Erica and Riley seem to go after the ball in sync.

When we became hungry we got out of the pool to roast our dinner over the fire Marty built.

Lana, Dave, Jason and Erica.

Marty helped Holly roast her dessert!

A view of Holly and her marshmallows through the smoke.

Erica, I think I've found someone who enjoys her marshmallows as much as you do!!!

Holly loved posing for this messy photo!

I'm REALLY liking my new zoom lens!!!! I took the following shots from on the deck of my house, which I've done before with ok results with my old zoom lens, but these seem so much closer and crisper/clearer!

Ashley seemed to enjoy the pool very much!

Cameron was so helpful with the girls! Here are Holly and Cameron.

Riley and Ashley enjoying the air mattresses abandoned by the adults.

Ashley.

After swimming and dinner the kids jumped back in the pool while the adults just sat on the deck and chatted the evening away. It's always so nice to just hang out with good friends, and what better way to spend a Saturday evening??? And campfires in my book are always attached to good memories!

At Long Last....a Day to Relax!!!

I did not take one. single. photo. today. Not one. Although the camera isn't working properly, it does still take photos. I seriously considered driving to Austin today to have it repaired but after the long week we've had I just couldn't make myself go. Even though I really want my camera fully functional again!



I had planned to sleep very late today but for some reason that just never works out for me! I was up most of the night unable to sleep and crawled into bed at 3:00 am. I thought surely I'd sleep late today! Nope! I woke at 6:45 am. I made myself stay in bed and go back to sleep.....only to have our dog Missy begin barking at 6:52 to be let outside. So, I gave up on getting any sleep and got Heather up so we could begin our day. I needed to go to the office and finish up there and then we'd planned to pamper ourselves today since Marty had to work.



After we left the church office around noon or so we treated ourselves to pedicures, haircuts and lunch, went shopping for Marty for Father's Day, dropped off job applications for Heather, then came home and lazed in the pool all afternoon. Marty laughed at us when we told him we both fell asleep on our floaties. Since we have church tomorrow we took him to Sea Island tonight for dinner for Father's Day and met up with Mike and Debbie and their kids while we were there.



I'm looking forward to another lazy afternoon tomorrow!




This photo is one I took another day. It has become my new favorite view. It was taken lying flat on my back in the pool on an air mattress looking straight up at the sky!

Waterlogged

After our VBS work day friends joined us for an afternoon/evening of playing in the pool. The pool hasn't even been up 2 weeks and what a blessing this gift has already been! We are so enjoying sharing it with friends! And the only drawback I've found in all these campfires...is that we smell like campfire smoke!

Everyone jumped in and enjoyed the pool.

-Katie and Riley-

Bethany enjoyed it when Erica flipped her over on the air mattress. E tried to teach Bethany how to hold on and stay on it as it rolled all the way over, but Bethany lost her grip when she went over.

1...2...3...

....heave, ho, and over you go!

Bill and Denise were able to join us today. Glad you could come guys!

Sheesh Marty do ya always have to be so serious? Lighten up, will ya???

Heather spent much of her pool time trying to convince anyone on a floatie to let her prop her feet on them!

Heather, Bethany, and Riley decided I needed to be flipped.

I'll get you for that! You first, Bethany!

And in you go!

When the adults got out of the pool to sit and chat on the deck the kids began a game of chicken.

Maggie stayed up a long time, but Cameron knocked her over.

Dinner time! On the menu: grilled hamburgers or roast your own hot dogs.

Erica, Maggie, Katie and I opted for the hotdogs.

Katie and me as she helped me roast our hotdogs.

Marty took a pretty freaky picture of Erica enjoying her marshmallows.

Bill and Denise chillin' on the deck.

It was a fun afternoon guys! Thanks for joining us. Go check out E's blog for more pics of our fun day.