Thursday - June 6

We're here!    Left Clanton at 7:17 and arrived in Pensacola at 10:30 and settling in at Ryan's home.     He's working today, but we're here holding down the fort and watching the weather!    Looks like FL is getting hammered, but so far, nothing here.

Ryan came home around 2 - great to see him and enjoying all the nice changes he's made to his home and on the patio.

Today Ryan was getting new bedroom furniture delivered from North Carolina between 10:30-2:30.    We waited all day and finally at 5:00, the truck came!  
Ryan had been in touch with them off and on, but they were running late cause other deliveries ran longer, etc.   AARRGGHHH...   Took a while to set it all up.   The thing is.... the Fiesta parade was set to kick off at 6:30 with the Blue Angels as Grand Marshals.   I kept thinking all day that it could "rain on this parade" with all the rain and strong winds around the state  from "Andrea",     Plenty of traffic and people, but it all worked out and we enjoyed this very different type parade where they passed out oodles of beads just like at Mardi Gras.

The Fiesta of Five Flags is an annual celebration of the founding of Pensacola. In 1559, Spanish Conquistador, Don Tristan de Luna, established Pensacola as the first European settlement in the United States. Since that time five different flags have flown over the City: Spanish, French, British, Confederate, and American. This 10-day festival is one of the oldest and largest heritage festivals in the State of Florida.

Here are some highlights....

Blue Angel pilots

Blue Angels

 

And then a few of the many floats...

 

The Bagpipers from McGuire's Irish Pub

It was quite a gala celebration!

After the parade, we came home and John and Ryan grilled out burgers and brats.
  Great to be back here in Pensacola and hang out with Ryan!





  

 

 

Wednesday - June 5

Up early to exercise, load up the truck and out the door at 8:50.    Just trucking along this sunny, warm day heading south!

Good day of travel but around 5, the heavens opened up and had lots of rain thru Alabama.    Stopped in Hartselle at a Cracker Barrel for some good ole comfort food.    It's a stormy night in the south!

Gas prices were all over the place - anywhere from $3.11 in AL to $4.09 in IL

Now we're keeping an eye on Andrea, a tropical storm developing in the Gulf of Mexico and heading for the eastern US...yikes - right where Catrina is!!!

We are settled in Clanton, AL for the night and glad to be out of all the rain.   Only 200 miles to Ryan....yeah!

Tuesday - June 4

We were up and going fairly early.....I had a mammogram this morning and then home to finish up laundry and packing.    I had lunch at Olive Garden with the Mid Illini (boating) friends.    Mark, Patrick, Liam and Connor went on their maiden sailing adventure to Evergreen Lake.   The boys (big and small) enjoyed it very much.

Boy toy

 

Getting the truck packed up and then we Nomads are off to Florida tomorrow......can't wait to see Ryan, celebrate with Kassie and Kyle at their wedding this weekend, then so anxious to get my hands on Baby Luke.   Also very excited that my roommate on the Tiger Cruise, Jackie, will be coming to visit in the Destin area this weekend!   What fun that will be!

 

Met Paul and Margaret at Baxter's for delicious dinner - we had a great visit and hope to get together in FL this winter.

 

 

Monday - June 3

Nice to see the sunshine after some rainy, cooler days!     We exercised and then met the neighbors for breakfast.    Off to Peoria to shop for a few things at Costco and had lunch with friends, Allie, Owen, Jane and Joe at Granite City.   So fun as always to be together and laugh and chat thru a yummy lunch

Allie, Owen, Joe, Jane, Pat and Mark

 

Home to do more packing....stuff, stuff, so much stuff....and we left most of our clothes on Catrina?

 

Eight of the Monday Night Friends met at Jody's for one of her absolutely wonderful gourmet meals.    Tonight she treated us to an Italian feast topped off with an apple tart and homemade caramel pecan ice cream!    Sure did pig out today!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Friday-Sunday, May 31-June 2

Happy Birthday, Ryan

 

Today is our "baby's" 28th birthday!   Wow.....seems like yesterday (well almost) we were blessed with our little "surprise"!  

 

We've had a busy, fun weekend starting with Friday morning when we left home with Liam and Connor and drove to Chicago and Misericordia.  We had a very good lunch at the Greenhouse Inn with our niece Jennifer's family (16 of us).  After lunch we were given a private tour by "Mary",     I was overwhelmed with the beauty, resources, residents, support, and so much more of this phenomenal facility.    To give you a quick background on this wonderful place......Misericordia is home to over 600 adults and children with developmental and physical challenges on 31 acres on the north side of Chicago.    After being on a waiting list for over 10 years, our niece Jennifer (Mark's sister Doris and Rich's daughter) has now lived here 8 years.   

 

We then drove to Villa Park to visit another niece, Jennifer and her baby girl, Leia.    The boys had not met their little cousin and were indeed "smitten".    Fun time watching them interact with her and

later asking their Mom and Dad for a "baby"!!!

 

Sweet picture of Connor and Leia

 

"We want one just like you, Leia"!

 

Miss Jenny and her little cupcake

 

At 4:30 we were off to Rockford and big reunion with Mark's family.    Not sure how many were there throughout the weekend, but it was a bunch and we had so much fun.    Had pizza Friday night at our hotel, played lots of cards and games and of course, non-stop chatter.    Mark and the boys swam, too.

 

Saturday after breakfast, we ran a few errands and checked out the big Coco Key Water Resort at the Clock Tower Inn.    We shopped a little and the boys got goggles and I enjoyed Crimson Ridge (fantastic shop).     Then back to hotel and met Anne and Patrick and we walked to Thunder Bay Grille for delicious lunch.    They took the boys and spent the afternoon at Coco Key and Mark and I were back at hotel playing cards and visiting.

 

We all went to 4:30 Mass at St. Rita and what a surprise after Mass to have 2 cousins come up and say "Hello"    - hadn't seen Mary Sue in years and years.   I did see her sister Judy a few weeks ago at the Uptown Grille - both are fellow Sublettians.

Judy and Mary Sue

 

Had a private room at The Machine Shed with bountiful family-style dinner and very good comfort food!     We were honoring 4 graduates this year and celebrated more back at hotel with 4 cookie bouquets, pictures and gifts.

 

The 2013 graduates

Hannah (college), Megan (high school), Theresa (college) Tom (college)

with their cookie bouquets

 

Mark's Mom enjoyed the weekend with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren!   It was a wonderful family gathering!

 

We stopped in Mendota at Ron and Vicki's and soon joined by Bob and Linda for good chatter and delicious lunch.    On our way home we saw so much water standing in the fields - unreal and the farther south, the worse it was.    Gosh....weather is so strange....when we got home at 4:15 it was 61 degrees and raining.....ugh!    Going to go down in the 40's overnight!

 

Busy Monday and Tuesday coming up plus finish packing and be ready to leave Wednesday morning for Florida and then back to the boat for the summer!