Aloha - Happy 35th Anniversary

Still can't believe that my husband took me to Hawaii to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary!  It was a fantastic trip.  I was extremely nervous about flying that far though and had a little anxiety attack between Atlanta and Los Angeles.  I finally had to give my anxiety over to Him who sits on the Throne and relax.  It worked, the flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu was much smoother and enjoyable for me.

We were able to share our trip with our best friends, Keith and Sandy Black.  They were so much fun to be with.  We each saw new experiences and visited many beautiful areas of the island of Oahu.  We actually were able to stay on Waikiki Beach, one of the most famous beaches in the world. 

We visited Diamond Head, an older extinct volcano and saw some spectacular views of the island, including

this picture of a lighthouse.  These views were breathtaking.    We were also able to visit a Polynesian Cultural Center that embodied the cultures of many of the outlying islands in the South Pacific including Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, French Polynesia to name a few.

We noticed that the Island of Oahu was a primary vacation destination for the Japanese.  There were almost as many Japanese as there were native Hawaiians.  We took in some of the night life at Jimmy Buffet's enjoying some of their live music and also a concert review show including Michael Jackson, Elvis and Lady GaGa (impersonator's that is).  They were all very good, and we enjoyed the show very much!

The boys ended up going fishing off the coast and Keith caught a 4-foot shark.  Of course the captain didn't let him keep it, they cut the line (wise move), however they did catch other fish and grilled their catch for them on the boat.  

Boy did I say we had a fantastic time or what!!! Can't wait until our 40th Anniversay, where to go?????

Washington DC Trip - 2014

My first trip to Washington, DC was phenomenal!  I recently drove (yes 11.5 hrs) up to DC during the recent AEA vacation to visit our nation's capital.  I was so excited!  I absolutely love history especially American History, what a great opportunity to see our history in person.

I got the opportunity to visit the Library of Congress. The building was gorgeous, the architecture of each of these buildings is unique and very detailed.  I got the opportunity to see the actual book collections of Thomas Jefferson.  He believed that all books contained a great deal of education and insight that is one of the most valuable tools we could ever need.

We next moved to Union Station, which is one of the most historic rail stations in the U.S.  It was pretty large and inviting, with  crowds coming and going.  We didn't get the opportunity to actually ride on one of the trains but we did get to see this piece of history!  We did however decide to eat a snack in the food court, which contained pretty much any type of food you would want!

We next moved onto the Museums, including the Holocaust Museum, and the Smithsonian American History Museum.  While the Smithsonian was great in viewing our own American History, nothing quite compares to the World History involved with the Holocaust Museum.

The Holocaust Museum was a moving experience and contained many articles from that era in history with stories of many that survived the concentration camps and stories of those that empathized with the Jewish people and attempted to save them by either hiding them, or helping them escape the Nazi's.

Anyway you look at it, this was a very "moving and emotional" museum.  We were grateful to have had the opportunity to see it.

We also decided to see the White House even though we are not a fan of the current administration!  The front of the White House was blocked off as we arrived and we lately found out that President Obama had arrived from his recent European tour.  The White House was beautiful and surreal!

On to the monuments, including the Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Washington's Monument.  We have only seen these monuments on TV or in magazines, etc....but those images don't do these monuments justice!

These monuments are huge, very impressive pieces, made of the finest materials.  These monuments are a great reminder of our rich history.

The last place we visited was the Arlington National Cemetery.   We wanted to pay our respects to our nation's fallen soldiers, those that served our country.  We were fortunate enough to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the guard changeover.  This ceremony is a very special memorial to these soldiers that have never been identified. The guards that guard this tomb are a select few that pass a rigorous training. Watch below the video that we recorded of this actual ceremony!

Home Project ~ Spring Painting !!!

Here we go again, it's that time to put up new coats of fresh paint in our home.  I think we will start with our son's room first, it's one of the smallest rooms and we will be moving in a new bed next week so it's a great time to make improvements and changes.  We let our son Caleb pick our his color, and he chose an  "off blue", typical for a boy isn't it?

Once we get his room completed we will probably move onto the main bathroom, Court's room and so on.  We will be uploading pics of before and after, it will be sooooo cool (I hope!)

New Addition to the Family

We have a new addition to our family!  Her name is "Harper".   Harper is approximately 5 months old, chocolate brown with golden colored eyes.  She is already 22lbs. and quite the festive little pup.  Harper is welcomed to the family by Sheba, our Australian Shepherd (it will take her a little adjustment period).  

We are continuing Harper's potty training as started by the former parents.  She is doing extremely well, had only one accident on her first day in her new surroundings but none since ( 3 days later ).   So glad to have her with us, and a huge Thank You to the Jeff Brooks family!

2014 Will be an interesting New Year!

Wow 2014 is now upon us and it's already looking like it will be one of the most interesting if not controversial year.  I guess it's safe to say we had better do our homework and research on news worthy items daily.  One of my favorite sites is Caintv.com which is a site that is owned/managed by Herman Cain a former Presidential candidate, check them out daily for the newest scoop.  

I think it's extremely important to gain wisdom through prayer, making yourself aware of ALL the facts when reading or viewing news worthy articles that affect our nation, our culture, our government and our families.

Each one of us is responsible for being knowledgeable stewards.  It's pretty easy to see or hear using the top influential sources in today's world how information can be skewed, that's why we as Americans that hold the values of our Constitution as strongly as we do.

Ask yourself what did you learn about your government, your world, your community, your family TODAY?