Some summer fun

While my young one was at camp this past week,  Ben and I went Canoeing.  Ben has to meet 60 hours of physical education requirements for an independent study course. He can do a variety of organized activities including walking, biking, bowling, golf and he can even go to a baseball game. Since my hubby is not too fond of water sports, especially ones that might actually flip him in the water, I decided to take Ben canoeing myself. We packed up a cooler with sandwiches and water and off we went. 7 miles down a lazy river...  3 hours.  It was very peaceful and calm for most of the trip. When we approached the 6 mile marker the water started moving a bit faster. Our canoe turned around and when we tried to turn back we got hung up on a rock, sideways in the river. I worked for a while trying to free us, all the while hoping I didn't have to call the place and ask them to come and rescue us off of the river. Finally, I was able to free us and  we  made it to our destination.  I had feared the end since we started. I knew noone would be there to pull the canoe in for us and I wasn't sure how I was going  to get out. There was a steep hill, and Ben made it out and tried to pull the canoe ashore but could get very far. I decided I would not be able to avoid getting my feet wet. I stepped out of the canoe with one foot and when I did, the canoe started moving in the opposite direction.  As I stood there doing my best impression of a cheerleader doing a split, I had no other alternative but to throw myself into the river. Oh how Ben and I laughed.  Unfortunately or fortunately,  I didn't have a camera to capture it. I enjoyed my special time with Ben, just him and  I.   

  Ben also was  able to do a riding lesson which I did capture, so here are a few of Ben, his amazingly, sweet cousin Valerie, and Weyekyn the horse. 

Soul Mates

A few weeks ago, while my hubby was working, I sat down to watch a movie. I have 3 males in my house and when we get together to choose a movie, I rarely win out with a "chick flick" as they would say. So I sat down and chose one of those "chick flick" movies.  Have you ever watched a movie that touched you so deeply that you could barely breathe? Well I barely stopped crying and laughing the entire movie and when it was over, I wanted to watch it again. So last night, since we had a night to ourselves, I asked hubby to watch it with me. It has such a special story.  There are so many little things in it that remind me of my husband and I, how we met ( he was walking down the street, I was riding a bike) , my ties to Ireland, and how deeply I feel about him after 20yrs.  Of course I cried and laughed through the whole thing again, and surprisingly, he enjoyed it too. I especially love the music (the priest singing had me roaring laughing) Imagine my surprise, after I watched the movie the first time, to find three of the songs from the movie in my ITunes shopping cart.  They had been sitting in there for quite a while waiting for me to buy them. Of course I bought them immediately.  It has become my all time favorite romantic movie. I can't  wait to watch it again...

Hair Attitude

Lewis is my youngest. He is going to camp tomorrow. He is very proud of his new haircut, so I thought I would snap some photo's. I am experimenting with the Urban look. We went out late so we were losing light, but managed to capture a couple awesome pics.  I cannot wait to try this for Senior Photos. 

How I long for Snow Days

My husband is on vacation this week.  With gas prices being so high, we opted to just do local activities. So far we have played games, and putt putt golf.  A friend was talking to me about how great vacations are, and it got me to thinking about how great snow days are. I know all kids are usually excited about snow days but I get ultra excited about them.  The anticipation starts the night before when the forecast calls for snow. I can barely sleep. I get up first thing and look outside. If it looks bad enough, then I head for the TV or internet. Oh how exciting it is to see the name of my kids school. How wonderful it is to go back to bed and not have to wake them up.  I love the idea of being snowed in but this year, it went a bit too far because my husband had to work the night of a MAJOR snow storm. He barely made it home the next morning, and there I was at 7am trying to shovel 2ft of snow out of the end of our driveway so he could just get our car off the road. I did develop a new respect for all the people who have to work out in that weather. It isn't fun.  However, a couple of days later, when we had to dig out, we did manage to have some fun. My guys shoveled the entire drive by hand. 

With all this hot, humid weather, I though photos of a snow storm might be refreshing.