Jekyll Island field trip

As soon as I got home from Utah, I packed up to chaperon the Jekyll island trip for Angela's class here: http://www.jekyll4h.org/
It was a very BUSY three days and a very HOT and buggy three days as well!

Our outdoor meeting "room" for the classes to start. 

They had 6 classes a day - two in the morning, two after lunch and two after dinner!

 First class MARSH

Meet a female fiddler crab!

They don't look thrilled to be holding them, do they?

Male fiddler crab

What IS that blur in the middle????  A HUGE banana spider (Golden Orb if you must know their real name)  they were EVERYWHERE down there and huge and icky.  Sorta glad this camera isn't too hot on close ups...

Why is the ground moving? 

Fiddler crabs EVERYWHERE!!

It's spa day at the swamp...

They tell me it's wonderful...

The girls tried it...

Beach time!  gathering shells and learning about the tides and the shape of Georgia's coast

and a night walk on the beach which was very nice as they were to be very QUIET - ha!

There are no shots from day two because I have discovered batteries in this new camera are short lived and they are (drum roll please) double A's - so not rechargeable.  Needless to say this camera is going back. :o(  Makes me sad, but I just can't handle the double A battery world when it comes to cameras.  Thanks!

Day two they did bird watching, which was a bust because the gal who was teaching was too new and too scared to drive them out there on her own.  Instead we got a mosquito infested walk through the brush near the beach.  This is where I discovered that Bull Frog with mosquito repellent NOT so good on the mosquito part - GREAT sunscreen - sucky bug repellent - they ate me up!!

They also got to do seine fishing - during high tide and the BIG waves.  This was a shock to us as we were told they wouldn't get wet past their knees - surprise.  I even went in and helped and got wet to my waist with waves.  Ah, well, it was cooler, that's for sure!!

We had a self guided explore the beach - that one was fun for even me.  I just turned them loose!

They did some shore fishing - which was a bust, but that's OK

That night was the bon fire and smores.  The kids really seemed to enjoy that and I was party to the first and best scare.  Two gals had gone to their room to get something and were walking back when I encouraged them to sneak up from the darker side and scare people.  Worked wonderfully!

the last day we were there we got to play with snakes and take a walk through a hot maritime forest.  I was sooo glad when someone had to go potty and I walked them back to the cafeteria (closest place).   Forests there are FULL of those banana spiders.  No matter where you looked there was one of those things - even above our heads - ick!

All in all a good trip, but boy was I glad to get home to my nice shower and my comfortable bed!!

Camera...

Normal shot... no zoom

 Closer

 Closer....

 CLOSEST!

OK, although I like this camera for it's zoom,not so much for close shots.  I need to find one that will do both well... this one is not the answer to this problem at hand... drat it

UTAH!

OK, off to Utah!!

I got there on Thursday afternoon and we were able to go to Provo to see Sarah play in her volley ball game.  Regretfully, they lost.  After the fact we found out that they were playing varsity players against Sarah's JV team. That doesn't seem right,now does it?  I think it was even their first game.

We stayed in a condo at Park City this year and it was so nice just to sit and visit and gab!

Linda and Gail met up with us that night and drove out to the condo where we set up "house" and visited!

Friday we snuck out and went to the expo - I think this is officially the LEAST time we have ever spent at an expo, however I was determined to just scrap and NOT buy... I did have to buy a little to get me through a 2nd book, however, I did just sit and scrap for the most part and finished two, yes TWO Christmas presents.
 

 because of the nature of the present, I can just show you the STACK of photos I was working with the cull through and choose the photo's for the projects.  I think they turned out really cute! 

Our typical huge spread of tools and things :)

 WHO can resist a purple cow?  NOT us!!

Saturday Robert, Sarah, Linda and I went to Park City to play a while!  This is Sarah and Linda waiting in line to get on the zip line.  I didn't want to go because if you're too heavy, you won't make it to the bottom and will have to swing your way to the end... I just didn't want to be mortified like that, thanks!!

 playing with the zoom on the camera I had just bought!

They were really THIS far away... however zoomed, they were CLOSE!! 

you can see Linda in the above shot just hanging down in the air!  Fun!! 

 And here they come!!!

 closer and closer!

 Sarah zipping past!

 gotta love this gal's outfit behind Rob - ha!!

Next it was off to the alpine coaster... this is all gravity - and you go up above to where the zip line starts and zooom down the hill - here are shots heading UP the hill - none going down!  I have to admit I did put on the breaks a few times!!

Next up was the slide - Rob and Linda riding the lift to the top!  She has the picture of all of us, so you'll have to check her blog for it :)

Later that night - the dedicated scrappers (I was NOT one of them!)

Gail, Britney and Janet

The Bogglers :)

As always it was a wonderful time - we really do enjoy this time of year.  We even got to go hot tubing one afternoon as well.  Ah, the life!

Next year we're talking about doing a Creative Memory retreat... for a change of pace, so if you hear of one, let us know!

First things first.

The tile was finished as I was literally getting into the car to head to Utah... so here it is - in it's finished state!

Have I mentioned I LOVE it???

Borrowed from my sisters blog (Library Linda)

I'm going to steal this from Linda's blog because sometimes you just have to think about these things...

• "What brings you joy? What do you just LOVE?" We were not allowed to answer anything that included newborn babies, ourselves, or our family. Those might have been the pat answers that any and all of us would have and could have answered. There were little girls who answered and they gave answers that were nature-related, like "flowers" "The ocean." Stuff like that. It was nice. Misty's ending though for us was that WE are the crowning creation of God. And I know that. I have a great deal of self-worth and appreciate the crowning creations of our Heavenly Father. But can I just tell you what makes me smile?

She hesitated to state hers...  I'll share mine.
I think my first would be BRIGHT blue days with puffy clouds.  I have a thing for puffy clouds.  Why?  I think it really stems from laying the grass in the spring and finding shapes in those puffy clouds... just laying in fresh green grass and finding shapes, animals, things in the shapes.. watching them change into something different... just "being"... Now instead of laying in the grass watching the clouds (something about age and bugs...).  I will find myself laying in the pool on my back, watching clouds.  Such a fun past time.  It's been a recurring theme in recent pictures too... I find myself taking more pictures of clouds, sunsets, sunrises... just nature in general, most are posted on face book and not to the blog. 

Just the other day I was driving to an appointment in the morning and had to pull over to take a picture across a field in the misty early morning... it was just beautiful... I like the dew on the grass... the peace of it all. 

I enjoy early morning on the back porch, coffee in hand watching the squirrels play.  I regret taking the peach trees out last year as they have nothing eat back there... so not a lot of squirrel watching anymore... the pecan is on the side and is producing nuts... so they're eating them, just not where I can sit and enjoy them :o|  May have to plant another fruit tree back there!!

So there are my simple things... things that bring me joy (oh, and finishing long overdue projects!  ha!)

What greeted me when I came in the door today!!

Oh, so pretty!!!!!

And what I did to it once I looked at it closely...

What it looked like after I got hold of it....

Must say I love, love, love the way the glass looks between the back splash and counter at the bar - beautiful!!

 Yes, I felt SOOOO destructive.  I ripped out ALL of the travertine halves...

Why you ask?

Because I knew if I had to look at the way it was for the rest of the life of the kitchen I would go bonkers... and this, ladies and gentlemen is why:

The travertine on the right is MY travertine I pulled out - the travertine on the left is what will be going in it's place tomorrow.  There is a HUGE height difference between the two and it looked nice from a distance, but a CLEANING nightmare up close.  Sigh.  It was soooo pretty though... but the problem will be fixed tomorrow with the new "shorter" travertine being put in.  Crisis averted and it will look even MORE beautiful that it did the first time around!! 

Goodness - looking at this post you really can't tell there is NO tile in the holes...

how funny (and sad!)

Projects, Projects everywhere...

Here is the before for a project I have had in the works for a year... for those of you wondering - 1 year is the magical number - before I hire things done.

I should hire the yard done first, but honestly, I don't go to the back of the yard and all but FIVE trees are dead now, so it's a lost cause... so I fixate on the inside for now... and here is the before!

Tomorrow you will either see a during or an "after" look for this room :)

The hint of what is to come in on the counter... yep, you guessed it!!  I'm excited.