Showing posts with label Smokey Mountains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smokey Mountains. Show all posts

Monday, July 18, 2016

Coming and Going

This has been a summer of coming and going. 

It started with Jasmine leaving on a ten-day choir tour to Colorado the day after school let out followed by our marathon Smokey Mountain trip. 

From there Kayla went to camp, Ty and Rick back to work and Jasmine and I went on to Indiana. Jessica joined us there. We were able to meet up with my step daughter and her family and get a picture of all three of my grandchildren together.

Jessica returned to FL, and Jasmine and I went on to Cincinnati to the International Christian Retail Show, which was really small this year. We stayed with a friend for a few days.

Then Jasmine and I returned home by way of Chattanooga. 

You've seen most of those photos in previous posts, but I'll post a few here for those who missed it.


Jasmine in Colorado






Most of us in the Smokey Mountains




Indiana for a four generation picture

With Rick's parents

Visiting my step daughter and her family



Griffin, Phoenix and River
 Signing three books in Cincinnati


 Downtown Cincinnati


Talking with my fiction coach in person

 At a friend's house taking life easy


 At one of the publishing house booths at ICRS
 The best part of ICRS is meeting up with other authors
 Talking with Pat Boone about his recent projects
Teresa gave me this pencil. It's going to hang in my office

 We added Chattanooga because we weren't quite ready to go home.



When we arrived home, everyone was there except Kayla, who had already been at mission camp for a couple of weeks. We'd been sending her postcards along the way.




But then on Sunday the 10th, Kaleb left for camp, Adam left for California and Jasmine and I left for Gainesville for her surgery. That was in the previous post.





My marine in California


Off to camp


Jasmine and I got home on Wednesday. Kaleb got home on Saturday and left again on Sunday for his second week of camp.

Jasmine went to a couple of hours of percussion camp today to see how she'd do. She was not in good spirits when I left her, but Jessica picked her up for lunch and a movie. She just got home and seems more relaxed now.

So, what's ahead?
Two weeks of band camp for Jasmine
Surgery follow up on August 1 for Jasmine. We plan to make a quick trip to Jacksonville after that.
Kaleb will be home on Saturday and no other trips planned.
Kayla will be home on the 28th and no other trips planned.
Tyler turns 26 on Saturday and we're going to the Chinese buffet.
Adam should be home sometime next weekend.
Ty and I are supposed to be completing advanced scuba but the shop we signed up with had a major turn over in instructors and basically there is no one for that class. We are going to start over with a different dive shop.

We plan to go back to Wakulla Springs and let anyone who wants to make the 22 foot jump do so. We have to wait until after Jasmine's follow up though. She has to keep the cast on her nose and dry until then. 

Ty, Jessica, Jasmine and I also want to make a springs dive and we have to wait for the same reason.

Try outs for the Missioula Children's Theater play are August 8.

So that's where we are now.

We go back to school August 18th.

What about the rest of you? What do you still have planned and when do your kids go back to school or start homeschool?

Saturday, June 25, 2016

More Vacation--Photo Overload

There's a lot I've skipped, but to save you all serious overload, I'm going to jump to the last couple of days of NC.
A writer friend lives in northern GA and decided to drive up and join us for breakfast. So we did bacon and eggs on the grill and pancakes in the girl's cabin. Our cabin did not  have a stove.


Young adult author Diana Sharples who wrote Running Lean. You can read an interview with her on my website or On my blog for teens.

The last night Felicia's crew was here, we grilled in the fire circle.







The next day Felicia's crew left. Our family went into Bryson for a little while.



We had a late night swim because it was our last night.


I threw pennies and quarters for them to find (in a creek/river with a strong current :) )


While we were there, Rick grilled some steak and also grilled the "hobos" the kids made with meat and veggies Felicia left behind. I can only find one photo of that!


The next morning Rick, Tyler and the twins headed home  (Kaleb was supposed to go with Jasmine and me but showed us through behaviors that he needed to return home with Rick), while Jasmine and I headed to northern IN to my mom's. Jessica drove up to meet us there.


River with my mom--Great Grandma Sims


We tried for a four generation picture but I don't think we got exactly what we had in mind. Pretty true life though.








River with my sister, Great Aunt Lou (Mary Lou)





Jasmine and I hanging out


Breakfast with Rick's parents, Great Grandpa and Grandma Cassel










We only there a few days. Four of us who went to school together got together. In a weird coincidence my childhood best friend was out of town the days we came to visit!! We didn't realize that was going to happen in time to change dates. The NC reservations had to be made the beginning of January. They fill up that fast.



The last night we had a little celebration for River. Kind of a meet River/celebrate six months a little early.





















I'm going to end here to avoid picture coma!