Friday, July 30, 2010

Being a bookworm has it's benefits!

One thing that we've been doing to keep busy this summer is heading to the local library! We've discovered some great books AND movies! Who knew?!?! I got really excited to see the DVD rental area! There were several movies that we haven't seen and to be able to rent them for free?!? Perfect!


Well, the kids registered for the Summer reading program and started working towards their goal of 10 books. When we returned their completed list, we were blown away by all of the freebies they received! Not to mention getting to put their names of the Wall of Fame!

Get a load of the rewards...

They received 2 Chick-fil-a kids meals, 2 Chick-fil-a ice dreams, 2 books, 2 milkshakes from Steak and Shake, 2 tickets to an Atlanta Hawks game, Sam gets a free book from Barnes and Noble, 2 free dinners at Benihana, and four tickets to a local movie theater!

They were so excited and felt like they had accomplished a great feat! Thank you to the local public libraries! We're glad that our tax dollars are going your way!

Read on~
Laurie

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Oh, the excuses....

I know you think that I would have some lame excuse for why I haven't blogged in so long. Well, I have an excuse, but I can promise you it isn't lame! Here ya go....

A few weeks ago, I was doing my weekly shopping in Kroger when I was stopped by a friendly gentleman who just so happened to be a recruiter for the Victoria Secret Bathing Suit catalog! He said that I had the perfect look for the newest bikini line! Can you believe that?!? So, his entourage whisked me off to the Virgin Islands for a quick photo shoot!

It was so fun! They pampered me, fed me caviar, massages every day...it was pure bliss!

Well, when I was at the airport heading home, guess who was sitting next to me?!?!? Brad Pitt! Seriously! He was looking rather lonely. Angelina and the, what 10? 12? kids were no where around. He started talking to me and after about an hour, he said that he just loved my laid back style and great sense of humor. He asked if I could accompany him to an awards banquet, because Ang and the kids were in Mozambique looking for another sibling. I called John and he had no problem with it! (John is such a great and truly understanding husband!) So, instead of flying back to the good ol' USA, we detoured to Paris for the banquet.

The dinner was incredible and it was neat getting to know so many celebrities on a personal level.

Well, while we were on the dance floor, (I can't remember if it was while we were doing the rumba or the venetian waltz) but a nice woman from Dancing with the Stars interrupted us and asked if I'd be interested in being a contestant on next season's DWTS. You know what?!?!? I said "Hey, why not?!?" So be looking for me in the fall!

Well, I'm back to the real world and enjoying life. The kids seem to be enjoying the summer and the countdown to vacation is on! Here's a peek at our lives over the past month or so....

The kids and I tried our hands at geocaching. This was our first find! The treasure was located in the Alpharetta Visitors Center.
Lily tried her hand at cheerleading and loved it! This is Miss Lil and BFF, Abby.

We spent a weekend in Chattanooga to take in the Riverbend Music Festival. It was a blast! The best part was having front and center seats to hear one of our favorites...Alison Krauss! This is a picture of the stage from our hotel room. We watched Sheryl Crowe in the air conditioned comfort of our room!

I made a batch of blueberry conserve. It is oh so yummy! Here's Lily's look of bliss after she tasted it!

Sam and his girls!
Horrible pic! We both had rolled out of bed and put on swim suits to spend the day at the water park. But it was with my friend of 30+ years...I had to post it! Love ya, Nicole!
Splash!



We hosted a Fourth of July party for several friends and it was so much fun! Food, friends, fireworks...can't wait until next year!


And Lily can make a friend anywhere! This one, she picked up from inside of our pool! Yes, he was still alive!


We took a Saturday road trip to Amicalola Falls in N. Georgia to take in the beautiful waterfall! And yes, Sam and Lily made it up (and down) all of those steps!
John completed another 100 mile bike ride. I call him "Crazy", others call him "fit"!

This little hairy thing spent a day with us as we searched for her home. The kids loved her and Bear did, too. But the local vet scanned her for a microchip and we were able to locate her owners! They were thrilled!

So, I hope to get back into a normal blogging schedule. But I can't make any promises! Who knows who I'll run into at Kroger today!

Giggles~
Laurie

P.S. Please pray for my sister-in-law and niece who are leaving on Sunday for a 9 day mission trip to Malta. Safe travels and good luck to you both!