Yardsale day (again)

Terri and Pat are having another yardsale today. I think this is the third or fourth one this year.  You’d think we wouldn’t have anything left to sell but as you can see there’s a lot of junk out there.  Terri was up at 5:00am to get ready in time and I heard Pat moving all the stuff out of the garage into the driveway about 6:00.  They were all set up and ready to go before the sun came up and their first customer came by right about that time.  It going to be great weather today so they should have good luck.

Making Brownies

Taylor loves to help in the kitchen.  Tonight she was helping make brownies.

Great Day Fishing with Taylor

This afternoon Taylor and I loaded up “Grandpa Dan’s” truck and went to Stacy’s pond and fished.  We caught several nice Bluegill.  Taylor caught the majority of the fish and she even helped take them off the hook.  The first four or five we threw back but they were biting so good we decided to get our basket out and start keeping them.  We caught enough to eat for dinner and then we stopped.  Stacy let us ride his four wheeler and we had a good time on the trails he has.  Here’s a picture of Taylor with the biggest catch of the day.

Here’s a pic of Taylor and I with the last fish we caught.  It was a little bass and Taylor liked the fact that you can just hold him by his mouth instead of grabbing his body and risk getting finned.  We threw him back so he could grow a little.

We took some back roads on the way home hoping we could see a deer.  We didn’t see any but had fun looking at everything.  Once we hit the highway it was lights out for Taylor.  She slept all the way home but woke up to help me clean the fish.  I can’t understand it, most five year girls wouldn’t want anything to do with a fish but she loves touching them.  She was lifting up their gills and checking them out from top to bottom.  She even stuck her finger in the mouth of one as far as it would go.  She just giggled when he flipped around on the table.  We buried the fish remains in the backyard and Mom cooked the fillets and we had a great supper.  Here’s a pic of Taylor sleeping in the truck.

Weinee Roast

Yesterday afternoon we decided to have a weinee roast in the backyard.  Everything was last minute but we pulled it together and had a very nice time.  The kids had a great time with some sparklers we had leftover from the 4th and they played pretty hard.  Brody and Taylor finally ate a smore and they really liked it.

Fishing with Taylor

This afternoon Taylor and I impulsively decided to go fishing.  We loaded up “Grandpa’s truck” and went to buy bait.  When we stopped to buy bait we ran into Aunt Debbie, Brody, and Ty at the gas station.  We bought a dozen night crawlers and headed to the “hard road ditch” (a pond out by the armory) to try our luck.  The fish weren’t biting but Taylor and I had a good time anyway.  We did catch one very small bluegill and Taylor learned how to grab and how NOT to grab a fish.  She held him while I took it off the hook and we through him back to grow up.  After 30 minutes or so we headed back home because Taylor had to pee.  She sat in the middle and I taught her how to shift the gears for me and she really liked that.  We saved our worms and will hopefully have a chance to go again real soon.

Bree makes the team

Hey everyone, Bree tried out for a very competitve team and she made it.  She now plays for the Washington LadyHawks 16u team.  They have a very busy travel schedule that includes Phoenix, Ft. Lauderdale, and southern California.  Congrats Bree and good job.

RV Trip – Stanton, MO

We just got back from our trip to Stanton, MO.  Bree is visiting and Allie and Trent went as well.  We got there at a decent time and went directly to Meremec Caverns.  It was nice and cool and really amazing.  We left the caverns and went down the road to the Stanton KOA to setup camp.  Trent, Allie, and Bree started setting up their tent and it was fun to watch them.  We got settled in and ate hot dogs and smores for supper. 

In the morning Allie and Bree were saying they hear a bear in the middle of the night.  I told them they were crazy.  We then went on the canoe trip on the Meremec river.  We got to ride an school bus down to the landing and campsite manager told us where he’d pick us up.  Trent, Allie, and Bree shared one canoe and Terri, Taylor, and I had our own.  The current was moving pretty fast and you didn’t really have to paddle except to steer.  Bree was in the middle of their canoe just lounging and it was quite funny watching Allie and Trent argue about steering.  We stopped several times on the rocky back to cool off in the shallow water.  Everyone had fun and we just took our time.  Taylor caught a fish and was really excited.  Towards the end there was a place you could pull off and go up a trail to see a really cool cave.  Someone that was leaving gave us a flashlight and we walked back pretty far.  It was neat to just be able to wander around without a guide.  We got back to the campsite and were all very tired.  Everyone went down to the shower house to clean up and I got done first and sat down at the campsite to relax.  I heard roaring coming from the woods.  It sounded like a lion but I couldn’t tell for sure so I walked up the camp office and sheepishly asked them.  They confirmed there were several lions that lived in the attraction just down the road.  I asked them how many campers got scared in the night and they laughed and said a lot.  I told the girls what it was so they wouldn’t freak out in the middle of the night.  We cooked out again and Taylor and I fished a little in the pond.  Taylor got tired and fell asleep outside while we were eating smores.  We called it a night.

Monday we went to Six Flags.  We all had a great time and stayed until closing.  I think Trent and Bree road almost every roller coaster in the park.  Taylor, Terri, and I road the old Coal Miner’s roller coaster and I was sure if Taylor was big enough for it yet.  She laughed and giggled the whole time until we went down the last big hill in a dark tunnel when I didn’t hear a peep out of her.  We we came out of the tunnel I looked over at her and her eyes were huge.  I thought she was going to start bawling but she turned to me and yelled “That was awesome Dad.”  We then went to the Loony Tune kiddie ride park and after two rides she was begging to go back on the roller coaster.  It looks like I’ll have someone to ride the big rides with for a few more years.

We left six flags and headed home.  This was an awesome trip and we would definately like to go again.  I think the canoe trip was the best.

First RV Trip – Destin, FL

We just got back from our first RV trip to Florida and it was awesome.  The first day and night was mostly travel.  I got tired at about the 12 hour mark and pulled over in a southern Alabama rest stop to catch a few zzz’s.  I napped for about an hour and a half but couldnt’ really sleep so I splashed some cold water on my face and hit the road again with Terri and Taylor snoozing comfortably on the foldout couch.  When we hit Florida we decided to detour a little from our final destination in Destin and go to Pensacola.  We stopped and spent an hour or two at the beach and Taylor really like it.  The water was too cold to swim but she had a blast searching for seashells.  We took a walk on the pier and saw some fisherman reeling in some pretty cool ocean fish. 

We hit the road again to our RV park in Destin and arrived about an hour and a half later because traffic was really slow.  The lack of sleep was really starting to take its toll on me and I was glad to get there.  The RV park was really nice and right on the beach.  We parked and took a little tour and decided to go back and get something to eat and get some rest.

On Day two we went to the beach first thing and it was really cloudy and windy.  We got a little cold so we decided to go check out the sites. We unhooked the RV and took off.  Our first stop was at the Bass Pro Shop.  We looked at all the cool stuff and Taylor really like the animals hanging all over the place.  They had a really cool aquarium as well.  We then checked out some of the shops in the strip mall and had a really good time.  It was time to eat so we went to FudPuckers resturant.  We ordered alligator but didn’t tell Taylor what it was.  She scarfed it down and after a while told her what it was.  She didn’t seem to care and kept on eating it.  We left there and went to the local Walmart to pick up a few supplies that we forgot to pack.  We then checked out Henderson Beach state park and campground and decided the next time we go down there we’d stay there.  It was more like a traditional campground than an RV parking lot.  We then headed back to the RV park to settle in for the night.

The next morning we went down the beach again and it was again windy and cool.  We bought Taylor a kite at Walmart the day before and she really liked that.  It was so windy that you didn’t even have to run to get it in the air.  Taylor and I decided to try swimming in the indoor pool but that didn’t last very long.  Both of us are sissy’s when it comes to cold water.  Terri did some laundry at the park facilities while Taylor and I played at the playground.  We spent some more time on the beach that afternoon.

The next morning we hit the road again and decided to stop by my sister’s house in Camden Alabama since it wasn’t too far out of the way (or so we thought).  It was a very scenic drive and we got there about seven or so that evening.  We visited for a couple hours.  She has a place in the country with lots of animals.  Taylor got to pet some baby chicks, a horse, cat, dog, and squirrel.  We had a really good visit and then hit the road.  On the way out of Sharon’s place the emergency brake cable broke and was dragging the ground.  I pulled over and got a flashlight and some duck tape and fixed it.  It seemed like forever before we hit the interstate but finally made it.  It was late and we saw a billboard advertisement for no charge overnight RV parking with hookups.  It was an RV dealership that offered free spots in their lot with hookups.  We slept there for the night, got up the next morning, got cleaned up and had breakfast, and hit the road again. 

We decided to stop in Nashville on the way back at the Opry Mills Mall.  They had an aquarium there where you could feed and pet sting rays.  That was really cool.  We walked around and checked out all the shops and then hit the road again.  It was late when we got home and Taylor was already sleeping.  It was nice to be back in our own beds.  Taylor woke up the next morning and was amazed that we were home.

Overall it was one of the best vacations we’ve had and it’s safe to say we are hooked on the RV life.  We’re already planning our next vacation.

We bought an RV

Today we bought an RV.  We’ve been thinking about it for a while now and a co-worker put hers up for sale  so we bit the bullet and got it.  It’s a 1998 Georgie Boy Maverick Class C.  I think it’s 22′ or 23′.  It’s only got 37k miles on it so it’s got a lot of life left in it and it’s been well cared for.  It’s still Winter out but we’re already planning our first trip.  We’re thinking about sunny Florida. 

We got the RV because we really want to start taking Taylor places but she doesn’t travel well in the car.  I don’t blame her.  Trapped in car seat for hours on end would suck.  We hope with the RV and the freedom it offers will allow us to go on some extended vacations.  Now I just have to figure out where to park it when we’re not using it.  I didn’t really think that one through.  Right now it’s in the side yard.  I guess we’re officially rednecks now. 

I bought a motorcycle

My Friend Jason and I took his truck to Wichita Kansas this weekend to pickup the motorcycle I bought on eBay.  It’s a blue 2006 Honda CBR F4i.  It’s in almost mint condition with less than 400 miles on it.  Looking forward to riding again.  It’s been about seven years since I had a bike and I really miss it.