April 26

Happy Anniversary, Anne and Patrick. Six years ago tonight we were celebrating at their wedding reception with bagpipers and all... April 26, 2003

Grandpa and I had the boys today and overnight - here are the little Navy guys in front of pretty pink perfection crab tree. The boys hanging out with Daisy!

Grandpa, Liam and Connor enjoying ice cream sundaes on the porch

And these silly boys love to hang out in the closet - their secret play place! Check out those Cubbie and Thomas jammies.

April 25

Well, hello........been awhile since I've done any blogging! Good to be home and heeping busy with unpacking, cleaning, organizing, yard work, etc., after being gone 3 1/2 months. Spring has finally arrived with trees budding out, flowers blooming, and lawns getting cut!

Last night (4/24) Mark and I went to Gill Street to hear our son-in-law, Patrick sing and entertain a huge crowd on outdoor patio. It was a beautiful warm evening and fun time and dinner were enjoyed by all!

Connor and Liam playing in the sand (big volleyball lot)
Mary (Patrick's Mom) and friends, Donna Rae and Ed

And the "STAR" of the show...Patrick

April 17

We arrived home at 2:30 this afternoon and it's sooo good to be HOME SWEET HOME!!! Here are a few highlights from our week in the Smoky Mountains... Where we stayed

Our "cabin" in the Smoky Mountains

We played lots of "Bean-Bag Toss"Dave (Annette's Dad) and Michael

Winners of the first bean-bag competition and who's that peeking thru the hole??? Ryan enjoying a cold bottle of water

One of the "BIGGIE" cabins at our resort with phenomenal views Anne, Michael and their boys coloring Easter eggs Davis, Drew and Liam in the hot tub on our screened-in-porchDrew and Liam on "top bunk"
The guys enjoying a game of poker

Ryan, Philip, Patrick

Judy, Drew and Bob playing state/capitol game

Brooke's Mom and Annette's Mom

Judy and Judy

Grand-Bob and Drew at the race track
Brooke and Brady riding motorcycle

The girls enjoying mimosas - Anne, Judy, Pat, Annette, Brooke and Judy Three little buddies - Connor, Brady, Liam

Anne, Patrick, Connor and Liam
Philip, Annette, Dave and Judy
Davis in his race car The boys crawled in bed with Grandma

Liam, Connor and Brady

April 10-16

Hello from Clarksville, Tennessee this Thursday evening. We are on our way home after a great week-long vacation with all our kids/grandsons and Brooke and Annette's parents where we gathered in an 8-bedroom "cabin" high in the hills of the Smoky Mountains. We enjoyed the comaraderie of each other, playing lots of games, walking the hills and oh-so-much GOOD eating!!! Easter Sunday...Philip, Annette, Ryan, Pat, Mark, Patrick, Michael

Front: Davis, Drew, Liam, Anne, Connor, Brooke, Brady

Grandma and Grandpa with Liam, Davis, Brady, Connor and Drew
"Boys will be Boys" - Liam, Davis, Connor, Brady and Drew

This camera-toting Grandma took many pictures during the week - more coming up in the next few days....please bear with me!
We stopped at the Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville, TN today and met friends for a wonderful 2-hour lunch and visit! Lots of catching up to do with

Nancy, Bill, John and Heather

Tomorrow...........HOME SWEET HOME!

April 9

Beautiful day in Sevierville and tah dah....it's Annette's birthday!!! Mark and I picked Philip and Annette up at the Knoxville airport and after driving around Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, we settled in on Daisy - also walked the boat docks here at the Mountain Cove Marina & RV ParkThe Birthday Girl opening her gifts!
We had delicious lunch at El Mesquite with sizzling fajitas served to Annette!
Played a round of dominoes outside on our picnic table - such a pretty day/evening! It was a treat to share Annette's day with her! And now gearing up for tomorrow when the family arrives for a week in the Smoky Mountains!

April 8

Left snowy West Virginia at 8 AM today and had beautiful drive thru Virginia and Tennessee. The Redbud trees were sooo pretty in Tennessee.

We have Daisy settled at the Mountain Cove Marina RV Park near the Douglas Dam in Sevierville, TN. Drove around the town (lots of traffic) and checked out all the various activities our grandsons will surely enjoy next week! I got a manicure and we had early dinner at Olive Garden.

April 7

Just a light dusting of snow this morning, but cold and windy.......... The Greenbrier Clinic
Snow flurries all day long - big, fat fluffy flakes on April 7th!!! We both received good reports from our doctors regarding our physicals - yeah!!!!

Drove to Lewisburg and had nice lunch at The General Lewis Inn
Had afternoon tea at The Greenbrier and met some friends from State Farm days
who were also at the clinic for check-ups
Dave, Kathy, Paul and Marge

April 6

Chilly, rainy greetings from White Sulphur Springs......nasty day out there and back home, too! What is with this weather? We are expecting 1-4" of the white stuff tomorrow with high winds.

Had our physicals today at The Greenbrier Clinic and will finish up tomorrow. It was a good day to hibernate on Daisy with good books and our laptops!

We'll leave Wednesday for Sevierville, TN and family vacation in the Smoky Mountains.

Stay warm and cozy wherever you are...

April 5

Sunday in White Sulphur Springs, WV.....beautiful day with sunshine and 73 degrees. We did some cleaning on Daisy and organizing inside (me) and outside (Mark). We drove 18 miles to Covington, VA (we are 3 miles from the border) and got a bunch of piddlies at Wal Mart. Downtown Covington, Virginia
Pretty pink flowers outside Daisy's window.

We drove up in the mountains till the heights were too much for Mark, so back down we came...very carefully!

April 4

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day, but windy and a bit nippy here in the mountains of West Virginia. We left Salem after a quick breakfast at Starbucks and 90 miles later, arrived in White Sulphur Springs. Sad to see so many empty stores on Main Street (always enjoyed browsing these fun spots). Sign of the times all over America where the economy has really hurt these struggling little towns.

We did find a new cute little cafe "The Mason Jar" for lunch - very good chicken salad!

Went to 5:00 Mass at St. Charles Borromeo - hard to believe it's Palm Sunday already!

April 3

Everything is lush and green this morning after another good overnight rain! Amazing how all winter long, the state of Florida was sooo very dry and in such dire need.of moisture. And soon as we left, the rain just keeps coming down wherever we wander! April Showers are happening in GA, SC, NC and even had some sprinkles today. We are at the Dixie Caverns RV Park in Salem, VA tonight - drove 70 miles along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway today.Grandma and Brady this morning before we said good-bye...
My cousin, Clarine and Bert. We had a wonderful visit with these two very special relatives/friends/inspirations to all....Bert is an orthopedic surgeon who was injured in a bicycle accident last October and is now a quadriplegic.
Bert and Mark

After our visit, Mark and I enjoyed an excellent dinner at Mamma Maria's (a Bert/Clarine recommendation)!

April 2

Rained during the night and misty this morning as we left Saluda and drove on...had breakfast in Tryon. Pink dogwood in Tryon, NC
And tonight we're at Michael and Brooke's - here's Grandpa hanging out with his buddy, Brady!

Brady and his new Thomas bicycle he got for his birthday!

My silly boys....Brady, Davis and Drew - fun to be back here hanging out with these guys!

April 1

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mom..............90 years young today!!Here's the Birthday Girl!

It rained a lot during the night and still misty as we left Sunset, SC and back on the road again. We drove thru lots of winding, twisting hills and mountains and finally arrived at the entrance to our campground in Saluda, NC.

Had a delightful visit and delicious lunch at Larkin's Carolina Grill with Fran and Al. Mark and Al worked together for many years
Fran and Al
We all went for a ride thru beautiful country with spectacular views of North and South Carolina from the Blue Ridge Mountains - pretty waterfall Pretty pansies in Tryon