Harper Valley

Pinocchio's Marionette Theater

I spent last weekend with my two favorite chicas aka Avery & Meagan.  We spent most of our time at the pool because the hours fly and it's a very cost effective form of entertainment.  A cooler full o' Frescas and some dive rings make for lovely weekend mornings.

But we did find time to visit an old favorite of mine for the grand re-opening of Pinocchio's Marionette Theater.  I was a volunteer at Pinocchio's many, many moons ago, so there's a special place in my heart for the theater.  They had a great run for almost a decade, until they closed their doors 18 months ago.  Lucky for us, the puppets are dancing on stage again, as of August 1st!

The artists at Pinocchio's are true to their craft, paying the closest attentive to every detail.  The performances are professional, the scripts are witty and wise, the voices are interesting, the sets are creative and colorful, and the marionette construction is superb.  The Orlando Weekly even wrote a wonderful article on the theater's recent revival.

Each performance begins with an introduction to the mechanics of a marionette, followed by a mini lesson in theater etiquette.

Anxiously awaiting the show...

 

Jack & the Beanstalk shows through September 13th.  Here's Jack and his magic cow, Belle.  She produces chocolate milk and strawberry shakes.  I need this cow.

Check out Pinocchio's soon.  Support local live theater!  They even have birthday party rooms.

Polynesian Luau

 

Aloha!  My sister, Jill is visiting from Atlanta..and my other sister, Janet had a birthday this week.  So we celebrated island-style at Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.  Upon arrival at the Polynesian Resort, we made our way through the jungle back to Luau Cove.  We were seated immediately, and the F&B started flowin'.  We feasted on tropical salad, coconut bread, fresh pineapple, chicken, BBQ ribs, rice pilaf, steamed veggies and a chocolate dessert.  Our meal also included bottomless beer/wine, so we took full advantage of that. 

A few times throughout dinner, the actors performed a running skit about life on the island.  That part was a bit cheesy, but the bottomless beer/wine made it all better.  After dinner, they got down to business with the traditional Polynesian dances.  Each time the male dancers graced the stage, Avery looked back as us grown folks with a grin and a giggle.  She had a look on her face as if to say...Am I allowed to watch these half-nekkid men?

 

The fire dance was the most intense for obvious reasons.  This guy was super brave.

 

I think Meagan won the award for "Most Fun Had".  She laughed and clapped her hands all night.  She made up songs, and was just really joyful.  The chefs at Disney did a great job with her allergen-free meal too.  She gnawed on those ribs like a champ.  At the end of the show, she even ran out on the stage with the other kids.  They all bounced around together.  That's her in the blue shirt, ribbons flying.

 

Look at that happy chica!

 

Here's the birthday girl.  Luckily she was in the restroom when they made all the birthday peeps do an embarrassing hula dance.

 

After the show, we wandered around the property and pretended like we were on vacation.  We took lots of pictures too.  Here's the whole gang...

The resort includes a man-made beach, so we dipped our toes in the water for a bit.  The girls were a little hesitant because they were scared of sharks.  I told them there are no sharks at Disney. You can see the Grand Floridian Resort and Wedding Pavilion in the background. 

 

I allowed Avery and Meagan to throw several handfuls of sand in the water.  Their mama didn't like that idea too much.  Whoops!  heehee

 

After the beach, Gus and Jill hit the lounge while the rest of us went for a monorail ride and watched the sunset.

 

We wrapped up the evening with more pictures.  Just girls in this one.

 

Aloha until next time...

Happy Father's Day

   

Just found this picture of me and my Dad.  I'm guessing this shot was taken around '75 or '76.  I look annoyed.  Hmmm..no surprise there.  And my dress is kinda short.  But I guess that's cool when you're a toddler.  At least I'm following the fashion rule of not showing too much leg and chest at the same time.  Dontcha love our haircuts?  Me with my Dorothy Hamill wedge and Dad with his Farrah Fawcett feathers.  Oh yeah.  Hialeah's finest.  Happy Father's Day, Dad!  Thanks for making me go to church all those years, even when I hated it.  : )

Beach Bums: Part II

 

While we loved chillaxin near the ocean, we also did a bit of floating in the pool.  The pool was grody, but it gave Hunter & Meagan a chance to swim around a little better.  And we actually met a real nice lady there, Miss Vicki.  She was very engaging so the girls latched on to her, literally.  They told her their middle names, last names, birthdays, cousin's name, hometown, teacher's names, favorite movies, etc. 

Meagan got real comfortable with our new friend.  So comfortable that she asked Miss Vicki....Have you ever seen The Farting Preacher?  It was hilarious, especially in her adorable, innocent, four-year-old voice.  Now I'm the first one to laugh uncontrollably and even snort-laugh at TFP, but it's a little awkward when the youngins mention it to strangers.  Janet and I quickly explained what it was and brushed it off, but I was dying with laughter on the inside.  I'm sure Miss Vicki looked it up on YouTube when she got home.  Meagan's our friendly little diva....

I had big dreams of building a giant sand castle on this trip.  But once I plopped down on the beach, I just didn't feel like thinking and digging and being creative.  Luckily, our fellow beach buddies did feel like it.  Check out their masterpieces...

 

 

I was pretty careless with my sunscreen application on Monday, so my shoulders and chest felt like fried chicken by Tuesday morning.  Therefore I spent most of that day wearing a t-shirt, sitting under the umbrella, guarding our beach toys, snapping shots of my feet, and shooing the birds away.  Not as exciting observing the crew, but I'll take a bad day at the beach over a good day at the office..any time.

 

 

 

After a few hours of umbrella hibernation, I came out of hiding and helped Avery gather more shells for her collection.  We found quite a few treasures. 

 

On our last night of the trip, we went to see the movie, UP.  Might seem like a weird thing to do at the beach, but the kids wanted to go <me too> ..and it was nice to sit in a clean, stench-free theater, a welcome departure from watching a 13-inch TV at the Bates.

I'll say this about going to the beach with little kids.  It's in no way relaxing, but it sure is fun.  The wee ones had their typical meltdowns, and I think that triggered a few meltdowns in me.  Guess I'm just not used to the additional yelping, jumping, crying, and whining that comes with children.  I told my sister...I can't believe you don't hit the bottle every night? 

Throughout the trip, Janet and I were reminded of Summer Rental, the 80s classic beach movie starring John Candy.  Our adventure mirrored many of the scenes in this hysterical film.  The trip was lots of work, but I laughed a ton, and now I have my own irreplaceable 'Summer Rental' memories. 

 

Beach Bums: Part I

 

I survived my first beach trip with three small children (and their mother/aka my sister).  Our trip was full of non-stop action, sandy toes, salty mouths, seafood, and sunburn.  With every millimeter of the minivan occupied, we ventured out for a three-day stay at Madeira Beach, on Florida's Gulf Coast. The drive is about two hours, but the kids were troopers and kept us in stitches with their excitement and amusing questions. I think Meagan's inquiries won first prize: Mama, did you pack my clothes? ...Mama, have I been to the beach before? (x4) ...Mama, are you gonna throw me out to the sharks in the ocean?

Our excitement bubble burst rather quickly when we rolled up to the Surf's Inn.  From the outside, we thought..it's not so bad.  Just a little old.  One of those good old fashioned Florida beach motels.  Wrong observation.  How can I put this nicely?  Hmmm..I can't.  The place was a dirt hole.   The 'large' studio was crammed with over-sized, uncomfortable, shabby furniture.  The air from the A/C unit smelled like vinegar, which only enhanced the stale, eternal smoke smell permeating from the walls.  The floors were so filthy that our feet turned black within minutes.  The bathtub was full of mold.  The sink had old crusty toothpaste in it.  The bathroom door lock was loose, so we accidentally locked ourselves out.  And as dumb luck would have it, Mr. Maintenance punched out 10 minutes prior to the incident, so we jimmied the lock with a bobby pin. 

The pool was also very interesting.  Seemed like most of our neighbors enjoyed staring at the pool for hours at a time while chain smoking.  I couldn't blame them for not wanting to wallow in hot, salty, moldy water.  I could go on with more gory details, but I shan't.  The only saving grace of this dank dive was its close proximity to the ocean.  Score 1 for the Surf's Inn.

 

After the shock of the room wore off, we got down to business....the BEACH.  The waves were calling our names and we answered.  There were only a few hours left in the day, so we wasted no more time complaining about the hotel.  Meagan and Hunter were a little apprehensive about the waves, so they spent more time on the shore, digging holes.  But Avery jumped right into the ocean like a little fish.   

 

The next day, we hit the beach bright and early, complete with four chairs, two umbrellas, a giant beach mat, a plethora of toys, and plenty of snacks.  After an hour of jumping and riding waves with Avery, she said...Aunt Lisa, what happens if you need to poop?  I've never run that fast through sand before.  Whew.  Score 2 for the Surf's Inn.

  

We worked up an appetite after our first full day in the sun, so in the evening, we cleaned up and cruised on over to John's Pass for shopping and seafood.  I couldn't resist purchasing the classic beach souvenir: Salt Water Taffy, made fresh in Clearwater.  Avery & Meagan went for another beach classic: the sea shell necklace.  Avery just couldn't get enough of that shark tooth.  I started to think it might have magic powers. 

 

With souvenirs in tow, we moved on to Sculley's for dinner.  Their Rum Runner {on the rocks} was killer.  It paired very nicely with our lump crab stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes, and blackened Grouper.  After dinner, we enjoyed the birds and fish around the boardwalk.  Lots of pelicans everywhere.

   

 

Next on the agenda: Sunset.  You simply can't visit the West coast without watching at least one sunset.  And watching it go down over the ocean is even more breathtaking.  The kids loved it too.  Our sunset walk was one of the few times they seemed completely calm. 

 

 

Stay tuned for Part II of our beach adventure.........

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Over Memorial Day weekend, my nieces spent some time at my pad in the big city.  We tooled around town and played in the pool, but Saturday night was chill time.  And cookie time.  My only challenge: food allergies.  Lil' Meagan is allergic to lots of stuff, so the baked goods department can be difficult.  Fortunately, I'm reading Bethenny Frankel's Naturally Thin and discovered her perfect allergen free cookie recipe.

These cookies are free of gluten, dairy, egg, and soy.  The recipe called for soy milk, but I replaced that with rice milk and it the cookies turned out just lovely.  They were much better fresh than leftover the next day, but hey...a cookie is still a cookie.  And they won Meagan's stamp of approval.  She took one bite and said.."Mmmm, you're a good maker."

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1-1/2 cups oat flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (highly recommend Enjoy Life brand)
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1/3 cup rice milk 
• 1/2 cup banana puree (1 medium banana)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until well combined.
2. Use a medium-size ice cream scoop or a large spoon to scoop batter onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. 
3. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking, or bake until the edges of the cookies are light brown.

*Yields 10-12 cookies.

**Chef's note: I almost used regular sugar vs. raw sugar, but I'm glad I didn't.  The raw sugar added a nice little crunch to the cookies.  In fact, next time I'll probably sprinkle some on the top for extra snazz.

Here are Avery & Meagan baking their sweet treats.  Meagan snarfled down the chocolate chips like they were her last meal on the planet.  It was so precious because she is very chocolate deprived.

 

Girls Rock!

I spent the last 24+ hours with my two favorite chicas, Avery & Meagan.  My little nieces are lots o' fun and all girl!  In the car ride on the way to my place, they chanted..."It's a girls weekend.  No boys allowed!  Girls rock!"  It starts young.

We began the weekend with pottery painting at All Fired Up in Winter Park.  The girls loved it.  Avery painted a big fish-shaped piggy bank, which looked lovely.  Meagan painted two smaller figurines that turned out very...abstract.  But hey, she's only four, so I was just happy she didn't break anything.  Their paints have fun names like Orange Crush and Cool Mint.  The favorite name at our table was Pumpkin Pie, which Meagan renamed Hunkin' Punkin'.  Meagan was seriously bummed that she had to leave her masterpieces there for firing.  She wanted to take them home so bad.  But Avery and I assured her that the pottery would come to life and look even better once it's glazed.  Avery said that firing is like..."lipstick for pottery."  Sounds like a great marketing tag line to me.  Here are the finished products:

Next on our schedule:  movie time.  We checked out the new Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.  I wouldn't give it two thumbs up, but the chicas sat very still and barely made a peep, so I guess they liked it?  I think the Sour Patch Kids put them in a trance.  On the way to the theater, they were bickering just a little bit.   Naturally, I nipped it in the bud and Avery said..."well now you know what it's like to have kids!"

We planned on swimming after that, but the weather was poopy, so we made a craft instead... Butterfly 3D Sun Catchers. I found this activity kit at JoAnn..it was easy, self-contained, and not horribly messy.  Their attention spans only lasted long enough to create one butterfly each, so now I have leftovers for the next visit.

To finish off the evening, we made cookies.  But these weren't just any old cookies.  These were special ones that Miss Mae Mae could eat.  She's allergic to almost every major allergan, so baked goods can be tough.  Luckily, I've been reading Bethenny Frankel's Naturally Thin book and discovered her tasty Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (will share them in a later post).  Meagan liked eating the allergan-free chocolate chips more than the cookies themselves.  But she liked the cookies too.  In fact, she said I was a "good maker." 

 

The girls are just crazy about my kitties.  Any time Jasper and Stella make an appearance, they quickly try to cajole the cats a little closer.  Meagan's still learning cat protocol, but Avery's got it down pat since she's a little older and gentler.  This morning, Jasper let Avery pet him for a good ten minutes while he purred and purred. Avery decided that he purrs so "all the girl cats will be addicted to him." 

 

We were up bright and early on day two.  The sun was shining for the first time in a week, so we took full advantage of the empty pool.  Here's Avery doing the back stroke and Meagan floating on her noodle.  On our walk down to the pool, the girls noticed I was wearing earrings, which they thought "looked like an old lady."  Ha!  What a hoot!

 

Our pool is lined with big, bountiful hibiscus bushes, so we picked our favorite flowers.

 

Always a fab time with my chicas.  Although, when our time is nearing its end, I look forward to peace, cleanliness, and bottle of wine.  Props to all the parents out there!  

Amazing Week!

I had THE craziest and most exciting week!  It started with wrapping up the work office decor project (to be featured in a future post).  That was followed by an open house with our friends/family to christen the new work space. Then there was QT with the fam because my middle sister Jill was visiting from Atlanta...and my niece Meagan turned four.  In between all that, I had Easter choir rehearsal and FIVE performances this weekend.  Whew!  What a whirlwind.  I feel exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time.  I love natural highs.  Happy Easter everyone! 

I got all my sisters with me!  Girls night at Amura for sushi and vino. 

 

My nieces Avery & Meagan at Chef Mickey's. Meagan wasn't too sweet on the characters at first.  She was even hiding under the table at one point!  But she eventually came around hugged Donald Duck. 

 

Happy Fourth Birthday, Meagan! 

 

After breakfast with the Disney characters, we hopped on the monorail for ride.  It jets right through the Contemporary hotel.  The kids loved it and it didn't cost us a penny!

 

Future crafter in the making.  

 

Me and J-MAW, our fearless choir leader and motivator. 

 

Me and Melissa, backstage between choir performances.

The choir crew.  We rocked it out and blew the roof off that place!!  I had a really cool revelation as we were singing this weekend.  None of us, not one single person in that choir could have done alone what we did together as a team.  We all had our parts..the altos balanced out the sopranos..and the tenors rounded us all out.  And we sure couldn't have done it without the band, or the solo artists, or our choir leader!  Maybe it's obvious to most, but it really sunk in to me that we were meant to be up there together, each of us doing what we do best, and creating something uniquely special...together as one.  My heart was so full!

Deep Sea Fishing: A Valentine's First

 

This year, my Valentine's Day was full of firsts.  First time deep sea fishing.  First time catching a fish.  First time spending V-day with a bunch of dudes on a boat.  First time listening to country-rap music. Check out these shots of my fantastic day in the Gulf of Mexico!

Tarpon Springs is the official Sponge Capital of the World.

  

I wonder how old this anchor is?

   

Our fishing poles are lined up, waiting for their temporary owners.

 

I caught my first fish (ever) just a few minutes after I cast my line in the water!  Baiting the hook was no biggie, but prying the caught fishie off the hook was a different story.  It's really hard!  They flop around and they're covered in slime.  Plus, their fins cut your hands if you don't have the technique down pat.  So...Gus and Dad unhooked my catch all day.  Fishermen to the rescue!

 

Da boys.

A huge flock of birds followed us back to the dock.  Some of them were so close to the boat that we could almost touch them!  Our live bait died, so Mike threw it all out to the birds.  Can you spot the mini fish flying in the air??? 

 

Here's Gus and Dad with the loot.  We caught a whole mess of fish!  They were good eats with hush puppies and Mom's homemade coleslaw.

 

Citrus Bowl Parade

After living in Central Florida most of my life...I have never been to the Citrus Bowl Parade.  So I thought it was about time.  I think it's actually the Capital One Bowl now, but Citrus Bowl sounds better to me..and think the locals still call it that.  My youngest sister, Janet joined me along with Avery, Meagan and Hunter.  What a fantastic day for a parade!  The weather was beyond gorgeous and we found the perfect spot right on Orange Avenue in the shade...oh yeah!  The parade was full of talented bands, horses, pageant ladies, funny cars, floats, majorettes, flag corps, and mascots.  It was a full two hours of free entertainment!

Janet and I couldn't remember the last time we'd been to a parade.  We decided that it was probably when we were in our high school parades.  And that was several decades ago!  Long time.  If you didn't make it to the parade, hopefully these pics will make you feel like you were there too!

Michigan State University Band...they had a FIERCE war cry!   You can kind of tell in their facial expressions.

 

Here we are at our rock star parade spot.  Meagan said the bands were too loud, so her fingers stayed in her ears most of the time!

 

Silver Spurs Rodeo gals.

 

One of the many floats made from real citrus fruit.

The lovable Shriners had guys riding coolers turned into vehicles.  What a hoot!

 

Another Shriner...this is my favorite picture from the day.  

 

University of Georgia Band.  Go Dawgs!

 

Meagan had heard enough marching bands at this point, so she "hid" under a towel.

Universal Studios float...you can see Homer's tummy peeking out.  Marge was on the other side.  Lisa & Bart were in the car behind them.  

Universal Studios stilt walkers.

 

Me and Hunter checking out the sights.

 

Flag corps from a band up North.  There were lots of high school bands from Ohio, Iowa, New York...and even from down South - The Bahamas!

 

And of course, it wouldn't be a parade in Orlando without Mickey & Minnie.  They finished off the parade on a gorgeous drawn carriage pulled by six gigantic black stallions. 

Rejoice!

Another Christmas has come and gone in the blink of an eye....as always!   Although I wish the day were longer, I cherish the new memories created with friends and family today.  I also cherish the opportunity to celebrate the birth of Christ.  Last night, I attended a Christmas Eve service at my church.  The theme of the evening was -- choice.  Our pastor explained how there is no better expression of human existence than the joy and pain of choice.   And that most lasting changes in one's life are made through relationships.  I'm thankful to have the choice of being in a relationship with someone who is greater than the craziness out there... thankful for the choice to believe that He can transcend every messy circumstance in every season of our life.  That's enough reason for me to rejoice!  How bout you?

Enjoy these snapshots of my Christmas Day. I spent the first half in The Wood with my sister Janet's family, and the second half back in Orlando with a friend.  And the best part of today...my PJs stayed on the entire time.  That's right folks.  Now THAT is the way Christmas oughta be.  It was joyful! 

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Cookies and milk for Santa.  Avery's note includes: "I wish I could give you a present...Please look at your cookies and milk....It's your cookies and milk!....PS-How's Rudolph doing?"

 

I guess Santa liked his cookies and milk because he showed up with some pretty hot gifts!

 

Me, Meagan, and Avery after the tornado of unwrapping. Could their smiles BE any more forced?  I think they're pretty much over my photograph requests. 

 

Santa's little helper.

 Meagan's footprint snowman. Isn't this precious?

 

Back at home, Gaybrielle and Gracie stopped by for a visit and mimosas!

 

Ahhh...the end to a great day is even better with some cold eggnog.  Since it's the opposite of cold in Florida today, I cranked the air way down so it would feel chilly enough to wear my new fuzzy Christmas slippers!

 

Georgia On My Mind

After a week in Georgia, we're headed back home tomorrow...bright and early at 6am.  Yikes!  Well at least we'll beat the traffic (in theory).  Had a great week up here in Monroe.  My parents just bought a nice big house with a huge yard, so we had lots of room to spread out our junk.  Now we just have to find all of it so we can pack.  We did lots and lots o' stuff this week.  We gained lots of weight, enjoyed lots of libations, watched lots of football, watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Harper family tradition), built lots of fires, diffused lots of tantrums and tears, and laughed at these crazy cheerun time and time again.  Here are a few highlights....

The Apalachee River in my parents' neighborhood.

 

Avery's pine cone discovery on our nature walk.

Meagan feeding Bruce at the American Girl Bistro.  Yeah, Bruce is having a gender identity crisis.

   

Avery and Meagan watching the dolls get their hair did at the American Girl Salon. 

 

My mom and Avery at the Stone Mountain Christmas show...it "snowed."

 

Me cleaning up the ENTIRE pan of dressing that went airborne when I removed it from the oven.  Good thing we had two pans!

 

Jill and Janet at the park.

Our masterpiece gingerbread house!

 

All the cheerun with Rosco, the furry entertainment for the week. 

Uncle Greg and Hunter exploring the house.

Thumbprint Turkey Place Cards

Well we made it to Georgia in one piece...three adults and three youngins crammed into a minivan with a trailer in tow.  We had a few rough spots along the way (aka Hunter's possession by evil baby forces).  We eventually exorcised him and got back on the road.  Kidding!  Yesterday we settled in at my parents' house and then hit the local arcade/bowling alley.  Today we worked on a Thanksgiving craft for our big day --- Thumbprint Turkey Place Cards!  Avery and Meagan busted out their lil creative spirits and we knocked out 20 cards in no time.  Hope you find the time to make these this year...they're adorable, don'tcha think?

• Yellow, Orange, Red, and Brown stamp pads (or acrylic paint)
• Googly eyes
• Black marker
• White card stock
• Paint brush
• Yellow paint

Fold a piece of card stock in half to create a card (mine was 4"x6" before I folded in half).  Press pointer finger or thumb into the yellow stamp, and stamp a ring of yellow to create the turkey's tail.  Then repeat with the orange stamp, then the red stamp.  Use brown to stamp the turkey's body.  Draw feet on the turkey's body, and your guest's name at the top.  Then glue on googly eyes and paint yellow beak. 

  

Camp Out Party

On Saturday, I headed over to Janet & Gus's house for Avery's "Camp Out" birthday party.  It was a blast!  The evening began with roasting wieners over the fire.  As you can see in the photo above, Meagan had a little trouble with hers...it fell into the ashes a few times too many.  Then we let our food settle and broke out the mini flashlights and glow necklaces/bracelets.  Up next, "smarshmallows" ...Meagan's favorite.  We made smores, but in the end, I always end up just preferring a good ole semi-burnt marshmallow.  Plain and simply delicious.  Here's a picture of Avery and Tori (her cousin) sporting their glow jewelry and sleep masks (such divas!)...

We finally made it to bedsy bye around 9:30ish, but it took at least an hour for those youngins to settle down.  Once they finally crashed, I thought I'd follow suit, but the electric bug zapper and Gus's hunting dogs kept me up til 2:30am. Oy!!  So I surrendered to the house and Gus took my place as tent chaperon.  I finally caught some ZZZZs and before I knew it..breakfast time.  Then I came home, took a nap and headed back out into nature for a Bioluminescent Kayak Tour.  I'll write about that in my next post.

    

A Day in "The Wood"

I spent most of today in my hometown..just an hour Northwest of Orlando.  It's a place I affectionately call "The Wood" (that's Wildwood, for all you outa-towners).  I headed up there for the baptism of my niece, Avery, and to hang out with the fam afterward.  As much as I love Meagan and Hunter, I was kinda glad that they went down for naps shortly after lunch.  It gave me and Janet (my sister) time to catch up.  We haven't really talked in over a month! 

Janet and her family live way out in the country..it's always so peaceful there.  When I'm at their place, it feels like I'm in another world, away from the hustle and bustle, away from highways, away from noise, away from responsibility.  How wonderful. 

The sky always seems prettier there too.  Today the skies over Sumter County seemed particularly pretty to me, so I captured the moment.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!