Christmas Season 2011

What has become a "tradition" for our family is a trip to James Island County Park near Charleston, SC to see the Christmas lights.  The 2011 light display was an enjoyable trip.  Dylan and Drew had a blast.

One display that continues to be my favorite...

Thanksgiving 2011

For the Thanksgiving holiday, we spent the month of November at Ft Rucker camping beside our daughter and family. Her husband was attending flight school there. We had a real nice time playing with the children. We also were able to watch the children while celebrating our daughter's birthday and anniversary. They had not been out together without the children in a long time so we were pleased to watch the children while they spent some time by themselves. The children are so much fun. We are extremely blessed to have a loving and happy family.

We were able to take walks and play dodgeball and of course sitting by the campfire. It was so heartwarming to see the children excited and scramble to get shoes on to go to GiGi and PaPa's camper.

For Thanksgiving we went to a Georgia State Park for Thanksgiving Dinner and picture taking.

The crew

Active little man.

Presently our "baby" but not for long.

Becoming a young lady.

A boy and his treasure. He is always finding neat

boy things and our coin finder.

Leaders of the crew.

There is a song called the Voyage sung by George Donaldson of Celtic Thunder. The song describes a couple that embarks on marriage "voyage" and adds their own "crew" on life's course.  It can be a song for all families and as our family grows, we pray that our course is order by the Lord.

The Voyage

as sung by George Donaldson

I am a sailor, you’re my first mate
We signed on together; we coupled our fate
We hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail
For the heart’s treasure, together we set sail

With no maps to guide us, we steered our own course
We rode out the storms when the winds were gale force
We sat out the doldrums in patience and hope
Working together, we learned how to cope

Life is an ocean; love is a boat
In troubled waters, it keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you
Now gathered ’round us, we have our own crew

Together we’re in this relationship
We built it with care to last the whole trip
Our true destination’s not marked on any charts
We’re navigating for the shores of the heart

Life is an ocean; love is a boat
In troubled waters, it keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you
Now gathered ’round us, we have our own crew

Life is an ocean; love is a boat
In troubled waters, it keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you
Now gathered ’round us, we have our own crew

"A Place in the Choir"

Thought I would share a cute song by Celtic Thunder.   Yes, I'm a "Thunderhead".  I love CT.
I had the privilege of seeing the group in Jacksonville.  They were great, however, Ryan Kelly wasn't there the night I got to go.  I hope to see them again someday.  They will be starting their Christmas tour in the next few days. Damien and Paul are no longer with the group but the added voice of  Emmet is beautiful.   I must say that Ryan and Keith are my favorite but Neil and Emmet have amazing voices too. Neil's voice is so smooth. I have his CD....I have Ryan and Paul's too. And Mr. Donaldson is a joy.  CT wouldn't be the same without him.

Sights of the Peanut Festival

We had a fun day at the Peanut Festival -- Dothan, Alabama
November 5, 2011 

Horses, Horses, Horses

Loved watching the horses.

He is our little money finder.



Cutest chicken coop I've ever seen.



Nothing rides like a John Deere.

Sweet girl in purple flyer.

Jack-o'-lantern

Before leaving on our month trip to the Ft. Rucker area to visit and camp with our oldest daughter and family, we promised Dylan and Drew that we would carve pumpkins. We absolutely couldn't disappoint them even though I do not know how to carve pumpkins very well. The boys seem to have fun and we enjoyed all the smiles.

Jacksonville, FL

NAS Jacksonville Florida

The RV park here at the Navy base in Jacksonville is pretty nice and we have a nice site.  We are visiting the Jacksonville area for a few days. The base exchange looks like an upsale department store. They have everything under one roof.  The Navy must have some GOOD representatives.  Never seen the Army nor Air Force with such facilities. 

I had tickets to see the Celtic Thunder show (which is why we are in Jax).  It was a great show even though one of the Celtic Thunder men, Ryan Kelly, had to fly home.  He was one of the ones I really wanted to see, but was a great show anyway.

Here is a view of the campground.  We may come back here for a week or so at another time…

The base has an a few aircraft on display.  We spent awhile checking them out.

                          Wing span 104 feet; so wide that I couldn't get the whole plane in one shot.
                                                       Don't know how it gets off the ground.

                                         Flown by the Marine Corps to transport the President.

                                     Wing span 100'. Couldn't get all of this one in a shot either.

Intersting tidbit---one of the planes that flew the photo mission during the Bay of Pigs 

I thought the tail wings were interesting.

Trainer

We had a relaxing day. We both needed it.