Mamma Mia!

Okay, so this month, I finally watched the movie Mamma Mia! Although entertaining, I was not completely impressed. I am, however, thankful that I saw the stage show before seeing the movie. I'm not sure I would've paid the money had I seen the movie first. Don't get me wrong, the movie was entertaining. The stage show is just soooooo much better. The scenes were better acted out on stage. Plus, the movie cut out a few parts of the original stage show. Parts that I think are needed in the movie. The actors on stage seem slightly closer to the age of the play characters. It was really hard to watch Meryl Streep and Peirce Brosnan in those parts. The part of the movie where the actress sings Does Your Mother Know is waaaaaaay better on stage. It's hilarious and a touch more dramatic. Of course, this is just my opinion and a very inexperienced one at that. So, if you've seen the movie...........go to the theater and watch it on stage, It's MUCH better.

Happy Anniverary!!!!

Well, as of today, we have been married for 12 years!!!! Amazing!! Still very much in love and still learning to compromise (more on my end). I'm definitely not an easy person to live with, very stubborn and set in my ways (which I always think are right). Tim is such a great guy and has to be to put up with my mood changes. It's been lots of fun though. The fun and loving times always outweigh the struggles. Here's to atleast another 38 more years!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boy Scout Camp

This picture is a little out of order. It should be last, but that's okay. This is Nathan and James cooking the dinner for the families. Matthew and I were the only ones able to visit Nate. Kaity had a t-ball game and Tim had a last minute job to complete. So, he ended up coaching Kaity's game with Chad and I went to see Nate.

This is Nathan the day he left for Boy Scout Camp. He'll have been gone a week by the time he returns home. This is the longest amount of time that he has ever been away from us. He was a little apprehensive, but we were so excited for him and the new adventures.

On Wednesday night we were able to drive up for Family Night and visit Nathan. He was so excited to see us and show the things that he's learned. He was a little emotional when it came time for us to leave for home, but I think it was a mix of being tired and worn out.

This is the fawn that we saw right next to the campsite. Apparently, he and his twin had been making rounds through the tents scoping out goodies to eat. I couldn't believe how close they came and didn't scare with the little kids screaming. It was pretty cool.

This is Nathan's bunk. The tent ties closed on both sides. Still not secure enough for me to sleep in it comfortably. Spiders, bugs, and other critters can still get in there too easily

Nathan built this is first day at camp. There is a rope hanging down in the middle. You can pull as hard as you like on that rope and the sticks will not budge. They built an even bigger one at the Trailblazers site. Nathan can hang from it and it won't collapse.

Nathan misses home, but I think he is having a lot of fun. They don't call home unless it's an emergancy, which is okay I guess. I think about what he might be doing throughout the day. Anyways, we are so proud of him. He's growing up to be such an intelligent and capable young man.

New York Vacation Part 2

I'm just going to post our collage of pictures because there are just too many to be able to post individually. If you can't see them well, they are also posted on our Facebook page. Anyways, our vacation was lots of fun. The kids were able to see another side of Niagara Falls that they hadn't seen before. We went down to the whirlpool where depending on the time of day, it flows in 2 different directions daily. We then went on the Maid of the Mist ride. The kids wanted to be on top so that they would be sure to get soaked. The boat took us to the foot of the Horseshoe Falls, which was a bit intimidating. Kaity decided that she didn't like it at all. After that, we went on the Cave of the Winds tour. We walked all the way up to the food of the Bridal Falls. Kaity didn't want to get soaked so she and I stayed at the bottom while everyone else went to the Hurricane Deck. Everyone came down soaked, clear through the rain poncho to their clothes.

We also visited Darien Lake, an amusement park, where Matthew went on his first Roller Coaster, The Viper. He absolutely LOVED it. Kaity wanted to go on all the rides that she could. She unfortunately wasn't tall enough for many of them, but we made due. For some reason, she despises the rides that get the riders wet. Nathan wasn't keen on the roller coaster rides. He does love the ones that go up and circle around, like the carnival rides. Dad, you would be proud of Matthew (and me), I had to go on the "enterprise" with Matthew since Tim wouldn't. At Darien Lake, it's called the Silver Bullet. I had to tell him the story of when you went on it with me after having had too many tasting glasses of wine at one of the wine festivals. He laughed when I told him that you would have lost all your wine on me had we gone in one more upside down circle. Good Times!!!

We did make other small trips and we watched Jessi (Tim's niece) play softball a couple of times. Man, is that girl good. She'll probably have a college scholarship before she's even through High School. The girl is pitches fast and hard and is very accurate. She's all ready had people out watching her and they've rated her speed in the 60's. Amazing!!!

Well, that's it. Lots of fun. Next year, we'd like to make a trip to Washington D.C. Guess it's time to start saving.

Awesome Recipe Spot

I love to try out new recipes when I have the time. I love to eat out when we have the time and money. I found a website years ago that is recipe heaven. It not only has every day recipes, but it also has copykat recipes. People eat out and then write out the recipe of ingredients. I love it. I've only tried a few things, but they've been very good and really do taste the same. So, here's the website http://www.recipelink.com/copycat.html The best way to get the foods you want without having to go out when you aren't able. Happy Cooking!!!!

Vacation Part 1

Jessie
Aunt Jen playing woofle baseball -- tradition to play this or kickball every year

Jessie

Uncle Steve taking kids around

Tim's dad, Aunt Helen, and Uncle Bill

Aunt Cita

Kaity

Grandkids getting stuck in the Jump House (on purpose)

Matthew

Kaity and Sammi

Uncle Bill and Tim

Nathan and Kaity playing in Grandpa's 4 tons of sand


Well, here are some pictures of the first part of our vacation. We actually have 216 pictures and I was going to use Picasso, but got lazy. Anyways, more to come later. The first few days we stuck around Tim's parents house. Family reunion picnic, Jessie's softball game, and just some random pics.