Thursday, July 23, 2015

Desert Oasis

This was us the last time we went to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and as you can tell it was a few years ago. :) My husband's Sister and her family live there. So we decided it was about time to go back!

Lake Havasu is the home to the London Bridge. Yes, THE London Bridge. It used to stand over the River Thames in London England, it was dismantled in 1967 & brought over here to stand over Lake Havasu, a reservoir of The Colorado River.

Here John & I are with His Sister Marti & her Husband Ricky. They were Great Host's for our little Get Away! Showing us around town, keeping us well fed & entertained! :)

And this is their back patio! Where we got to watch the Women's World Cup in style! 

And of course the back patio leads to the back yard . . . 

 
Where there are No Bad Days allowed! And who could have a bad day in a place like this?

Ricky is a real handy man, who built all this himself! He is a Wizard with Wood! It is really like a Mirage in the middle of the desert. 

And with temps like this, we spent a lot of time in the water!

 
And behind this bamboo door lies an adventure in itself;

 
It's An Outdoor Shower! Don't knock it till you try it. I'm just saying, It really is pretty cool! (And when I got back from vacation, I started reading a new Book which was set on Nantucket, where they had & used an Outdoor Shower as well!) ;)

We saw The London Bridge. (Compare this photo with the first one at the top of the page to see how long it's really been since we'd been there!)

We walked down my the lake and enjoyed the Beautiful Scenery!

And I just had to put my feet in the water!

And we loved all the cool Lighthouses!

And one of the highlights of the trip was that we got to reenact this precious picture of my girls when they were little, under The London Bridge!

 They've changed a little!

I love it!

Marti's little Grandson kept announcing "I need All my Cousins to come over here & Play!" :) My girls were his only cousins there, but it was easier than trying to remember their names!

Our Niece Jamie & her Fiance' Rick took us out on their Boat for a day on the Lake & River!

Pictured is Rick, driving the boat, Jamie, Our Nephew T.J. and Rick's Daughters Ali & Maddie.

We had a blast & played in the water!

Until John got attacked by Mermaids! :)

Just waiting for my ship to come in! :) (I picked up this lovely hat at a little shop by the bridge!)

T.J. took a slow motion video of Erica's water hair flip, and got this cool pic! Told you they are Mermaids!

 
This is the Bridge Henry Fonda rides across from California into Arizona in the Movie Easy Rider!

 We found a Rope Swing hanging under the Bridge, so naturally the kids had to give it a try. 

They are Brave! I was excited they got to try a lot of new things on this trip!

Including Tubing!

They bounced around, flew up in the air, capsized, and did it all over again. And T.J. & Rick taught Erica how to Wake Board as well!

Ali & Maddie are 17 & 15, and got along great with my girls. They all had a great time hanging out & getting to know each other. And Jamie took us all Thrifting & Antiquing in their cute little town!

And when the ride home looks like this, you know it was a successful Vacation! :) We had such a great time! It will not be as long until our next visit! Thanks to Marti, Ricky, Jamie, Rick, T.J., Ali, Maddie & Kaden for giving us so many great Memories!


Monday, July 13, 2015

"Summer Reading, Had Me A Blast!"

 
 I Love Reading in the Summer Time! And I so Love a Good Summer Read! For me, what makes a Book a good Summer Read is that it is set in the Summer Time, Somewhere I'd love to be, usually the Beach, and has a griping story line! That can be Suspenseful, Adventurous, or Relational. So with that formula in mind; Here's what I'm Reading this Year . . . . .

 
 If you enjoy a Who Done It, and liked Gone Girl, The Girl On The Train by: Paula Hawkins, might be for you. It's not set on the Beach, but a City in England. And Everyone is talking about this Book! I did find that having an unreliable Narrator can be a little frustrating. But it will keep you guessing!

 My Book Club read Paper Towns by: John Green (who also wrote The Fault In Our Stars) and to be honest with you, I didn't think I would really like it. It seemed to me it would be just another YA Book. But, being honest again, I REALLY Liked it! This one is set mostly in Orlando, Florida, at the end of the School Year. It has mystery, adventure, and it really gives you a lot to think about! The Movie comes out this month as well, and my Book Club will be going together to see it!

Ann Brashares' The Last Summer (of You & Me) Is my new Favorite Summer Read! I Loved This Book! It's everything I Love in a Book! It's about Sisters & Friends, Set on New York's Fire Island. There is Romance, and it will pull at your Heart Strings! Now, Ann Brashares wrote The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Book Series, which are good Summer Reads in themselves, and are written for Teen Girls, this one is not! So be advised. ;) I literally felt like I just wanted to cry when I got to the end of this Book. I was so sad it was over.

 The Summer Read my Church Book Club picked to read is Sisterchicks do the Hula! by: Robin Jones Gunn. About Girlfriends who travel together to Hawaii. Now, if you know me, you know I Love All Things Hawaiian! And the number 1 item on my Bucket List is to someday Hula in Hawaii! So this one should be a fun read right up my alley!

Beautiful Day by: Elin Hilderbrand (The Queen of the Summer Reads, Barefoot is one of my favorites of hers!) is what I'm reading now for the BookFinks BookClub. The setting is a Wedding on Nantucket. And with my son getting married this fall, I thought this one would be apropos. And so far I am enjoying it.

So, I'm gonna ask a favor of you, would you please put your Book down just long enough to let us know what good Books you are Reading this Summer? Cause we're all always looking for new suggestions when it comes to Good Books, right?! Thanks so much. 
 
Happy Summer
&
Happy Reading!
 

Saturday, July 11, 2015

25 + 25 = 25

 I was 25 Years Old when I became a Mother for the very first time.

That was 25 Years ago Today! 

My Baby Boy is now 25 Years Old!

So, you know what that means . . . .

Yep, 

I am now . . . . 

The Same Age As My Child! 


Happy Birthday Kyle Micah!
 
"I'll Love you Forever,
I'll Like you for Always.
As long as I'm living, 
My Baby You'll Be!"