Entry from Vacation

Me on the upstairs porch
what we are waking up to every morning ---- life is good
boys and their toys (Papa, Hunter, B, Raymond, Bonesy, Christian)
the 3 'kids' and their significant others playing mini golf (RyRy, Katie, Roxie, Bonesy, B, Randi)
the girls --- Katie, MomMom, Randi, Roxie, Baby

We are having such a great vacation!! I am LOVING having my boys all to myself - no cell phones, no work at ALL for Brandon - it's just awesome. It has been so so awesome to be with my family and let the boys play. Another great annual vacation for us. I am sneaking on here real quick to upload all my pictures since my memory card is full - so we're not totally away from technology hehehe.

BUT here's a quick glimpse of what we've been experiencing so far. Here is a live camera of the boardwalk! You'll probably see us walking with our wagons/strollers! :)

http://www.rehobothbeachcam.com/

Hope you all are doing great

Raymond turns 2!!!
Raymond on a ride
Hunter, Christian, Raymond
Raymond on the beach
Look at our view from our yard!!

On the road again!!!!!!!

We're hitting the road for our annual my-side-of-the-family-vacation!!!! :) We are going to Rehoboth Beach, DE again this year. I may or may not post while we're there. B will have his laptop for work, but I may be having too much fun to post hehe.

Will you all pray for safe travels for us and for us to enjoy each other as a family? You won't believe it -- but Raymond has a viral infection and I am just praying that this is the end of it. We finally gave in and went to the doctor this morning - and they said to just give him tylenol, motrin if his fever comes back and to keep a humidifer in his room. I am just going to assume that everything will be fine though! I haven't mentioned it this week yet but it really has been a tough week for him. He has that croup-y throat cough thingy and has had nasty fevers all week -- yet he's still so happy and content. I am so proud of him.

Life is good - you all have a great week!! love you all!! :) xoxoxoxo :)

2nd batch of visit to New Jersey pics

Enjoying ice pops with Papa on the front porch
nothing like an open yard and balls to play with :)
The cousin house on MomMom's deck. Hunter wanted to go in the window for some reason.
Cutie pies at work.
Coming home from one of the parks with Papa.

Josh Hamilton

We watched the home run derby the other night and Brandon started telling me about Josh Hamilton. Brandon played bball against him in high school. What an incredible story he has. I mean really really powerful.

A story proving the Truth that hope is never lost! That a loving, supportive, godly faithful wife is priceless and that God can heal and turn around anybody's life!!

Read his story in these articles. so powerful!!!!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/albert_chen/05/27/hamilton0602/index.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2926447

that is one of the reasons I am so in love with sports. because the stories behind the success! Same with the Olympics - there are such awesome awesome stories of victory, of overcoming such great struggles and success in Christ. Good stuff! :) Enjoy!!

Nature scenes from our trip

we're back home! The flight wasn't TOO horrible. You know trusty newark and their constant delays but once we were in the air, Raymond was awesome. He's hopefully going to take a LONG LONG nap today. We've already gone for our walk and went to the pool and had lunch and he's already sleeping.


I'll be sharing a lot of my pics from our Jersey visit in the next few days.


and then Friday we leave for our Wolfe-Side family vacation!!!!!!!

Today's pictures are the first 5 nature/landscape pictures I took in Jersey. You all know I'm not an artist or photographer by any means --- but here I am pretending to be haha. It was just so beautiful though and God is the most perfect artist so I want to share some of the beauty He made! The greens were soo green which made the blues seems so much more blue. It was just beautiful! I miss it! :) I never really appreciated the beauty around me when I lived there. So enjoy...more tomorrow! :)

view from first beach - that's MomMom's head in the pic haha
this cloud was so funny!! When it went over us, it rained on us but only for not even a minute. You could see the rain as it came across the field, I have never seen anything like it before. very funny!
another pic from first beach with the stupid geese. the geese are not that cool to us. the swans are the beautiful fowl - but I didn't get any pictures of them. There's a mommy swan, daddy swan and 8 babies this year. We got to see them, but didn't get any pictures!
I love these water lilies?? I have NO idea what these bushes are but they are everywhere. My mom has them all over her yard.
I TRIED to zoom and focus on the blooms -- but it ended up focusing on the background. OH WELL! :) Like I said -- I have an amateur camera and I'm an amateur photographer haha

back to NC

We're headed back to N.C. tonight. Then Friday we leave to make our way up the coast from NC to Delaware for our annual my-side-of-the-family vacation! :) What a busy summer!

Could you pray for another great, easy flight for me and Raymond! :) WE CAN'T WAIT to see Brandon!! Oh my goodness - I haven't been talking about it and been trying to not even think about it because it would make me sad ---- but now that we're seeing him today I can admit it has been SO hard to be away from him!!! Can't wait to be in his arms tonight!!!!

We had an awesome time at Meagan & Brad's wedding last night. It stinks having to go without Brandon - but I just made friends and danced by myself a lot! :) It was so so great to see old high school friends - so much has changed since I saw them - it was really great to be around friends again!

Hope u all are having a great week! :) love you!

Bear Part 2 ---- see post below too!

Bear

To add onto this post http://randijosjourney.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-love-my-hometown.html that listed all the animals we've seen....

I now can add in black bear. As I was walking the stroller home from the beach - people kept stopping me (every single car that went by) saying...there's a bear eating the garbage in your front yard... AHH!! So I ventured along eyes darting left and right picturing the bear to come darting out at me around the next bush --- and I turn onto our street - and there he is, as calm as could be - eating our trash with 10 people around him taking pictures. I haven't been around bears in 8 years so I forget that they really don't care about humans. The bears are losing their home as more and more subdivisions are going up - and they are so unaffected by us. They are just part of the neighborhood during summer. They just don't even pay us any attention.

I was getting so upset because I can tell he's a baby and I kept saying oh no mama, he doesn't have any more food so he has to come to our houses. and I was getting so sad thinking their food supply will be depleted more and more and this poor baby would starve .... but my mama reassured me (and I don't know if she was being truthful or just trying to make me feel better and protecting me like when I was little) that they will not starve to death and that they just like human food and that he always comes out the night before trash day.

SOOO I guess he just likes our trash --- and OHH what a pleasant surprise to have loads and loads of Raymond's dirty diapers to eat tonight! :) What a treat!

He must have been caught before - his ear is tagged.

Here he is when I first saw him, eating Raymond's diapers.

He walked up to my parent's house to check the garbages on the side of the house and then walked back to the one he tipped over for more. There's my mama in the background!

Here he is next door.

and eating their trash... not as good as ours, because he didn't stay long.

and NOW my camera phone is offically full so I will have to wait to share more pictures with you until I get back home and can upload my digitals

What an exciting trip we've had. Now if these pictures aren't proof to my north carolina family and friends that New Jersey really is full of beauty and nature and not just big dirty cities...then I don't know what will be!!

Recreation, family, etc.

Papa took me to play 9 holes of golf yesterday! He is obviously feeling great and we had a great time. My first holes were PATHETIC to say the least - I haven't been golfing in quite a while.... but my last 4 holes were awesome! I absolutely love recreation. Any time I have the chance to get out and do ANY sort of sport/recreation/competition, I am there! One of my favorite things about my marriage is that we truly are each other's best friends. We do everything together. I will try anything Brandon wants to, just to be with him. Wherever he is going, whatever is he doing, I'm right there with him. We will always love to play games and sports together like children.

I LOVE the age Raymond is right now - but I also get really excited to share fun experiences with him - like golfing together, swimming, surfing, anything he wants to try! I wonder what he'll choose to pursue!!??

Part of me REALLY wants to go back and refuel my dreams of professional swimming or golfing --- but I am not willing to do what it takes (still). I have totally loved watching the Olympic trials -- with swimming obviously being my favorite. The 41 year old swimmer that made the Olympic team sparked a dream that I had kept down for a few years.

You can't live life looking back --- but I know a part of me will always say deep down.... "if only". If only I had dedicated myself like my friends did. If only I had put my whole heart into one area. I was SO over involved in everything growing up that I never fully pursued one sport full out; swimming was what I took most seriously - but even swimming - I rarely practiced compared to all the other swimmers, I didn't take it seriously. I honestly never really "got" that after my school years --- there would be no more competition. I wish it had really sunk in that I needed to appreciate the years I had in school and to really pursue sports when I could..... but I was too busy chasing boys and growing up way too fast. I even got offered chances to swim in college because college coaches looked at my times relative to how little I practiced and knew if only I could find somebody to motivate me, there would be no limit to how far I'd go.... but I declined all offers, took no phone calls from coaches.... and shut that door of my life... now I just have to count it as a lesson learned - and I know I'll make sure to pass on what I've learned to Raymond. I don't want him to make the same mistakes I did. I wonder if he'll have the same recreational gifts and abilities that Brandon and I have? Either way - I am going to pull him to excel and nudge - but never forcefully push. I want him to enjoy whatever he does and have his own choices as to how far he wants to go.

I look forward so much to watching my dad and mom as they watch Raymond excel in whatever he chooses. One of my greatest pleasures is watching my parents take pleasure in Raymond. As I watch their eyes light up and look at Raymond - thinking he is just perfect - I see a reflection of the way I believe God looks at us. My dad and mom do everything for us to be happy --- and I am starting to really understand the love they have for us. I know there's no greater feeling than seeing Raymond totally and completely happy and full of joy. I guess that is why my dad and mom have always come up with incredible experiences for us to share all together --- like our family vacation in 2 weeks!!!!!

This scare with my dad's health and being up here for 2 weeks has really tugged at my heart even more how much Raymond is missing out on by not seeing my parents more. I hope this is a turning point in all of our lives and we take our appreciation of each other to the next level. It's hard to see how close my sister's boys are to my parents --- but that's life. I know God has His hand on my life and I just have to show Raymond that we have to learn to appreciate what we are given and not be envious of what others have. God has a specific and unique purpose for us and I know Raymond is so extremely blessed and God has nothing but great plans in store for him.

Those are all my thoughts for today. Everything is great - Raymond is napping after a really fun day at the park with the cousins. Tonight Roxie and I are going to a party that I have to tell you all about tomorrow! Hope you all had a great weekend and feel as blessed as I do with all you've been given :)

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!!!

We had such a great day today!!!!!! I am actually beat so I am not going to write anything else. But wanted to make sure I wished you all a great "4th of July". Love you all!

Thank you God so much for blessing America like you have!! Thank you God for the men who have fought and fight today for our freedom! Thank you for blessing me to be born into the greatest country on earth!

Pics from our hometown visit - Post 2

To follow up on my previous post, here are more pictures. Like I said, I have SO SO many pics to share from my regular camera - but I have to wait until I get home to share those. These are from my camera phone.

1. Proof to all my friends down south that have never been to New Jersey, that New Jersey is NOT one big city. There are mountains, lakes and fields!! I really grew up in a beautiful place. One of New Jersey's best kept secrets.

2. Here's another picture of the lake - this is from the playground at first beach

3. Within a 5 mile radius, we have parks at first beach, 2nd beach, the elementary school and this park --- Camp Jefferson. We go to this park on every visit - and it's one of Hunter's favorites throughout the year from what I understand. Raymond loved the tunnels, the swings, the slides and most specially CLIMBING. My dad couldn't believe how much he can climb by himself. I'm so proud of my big strong boy :)

I'm also so proud of my papa. He is exercising, keeping a great attitude and getting better every day. He needs to rest more, but we're working on that. Right now I am taking this break because he has Raymond on a bike ride to the school to go on the playground! He obviously is doing great and feeling so much better, huh? :) Praise God!

4. MomMom & Papa's porch from sitting near the sandbox. We have had a lot of fun this trip just sitting out front watching the boys and just being with each other.

5. I absolutely LOVE the colors arond here in the summer. The green is soo green and it makes the blue seem even more blue-r!!! I really do miss this green, the big trees, the mountains. Love it! :)

MUCH MORE TO COME -- AND HIGHER QUALITY ONES FROM MY REGULAR CAMERA! :)

Love you all and hope you're having a great day!!

I love my hometown!

I really really love Lake Shawnee in the summer. I haven't visited here in the summer in what feels like decades - but I think it's been about 4 or 5 years - it brings back so many memories. Us Lake Shawnee kids absolutely had the best childhood growing up on the lake -- but during the summer months especially. My best buddy Lisa and I would set out at 8 am for our swim team practice - and then spend the rest of the day at the beach or one of the playgrounds. We'd pack a lunch - and just stay out ALL day. We just had to be home for dinner. We would ride our bikes everywhere. If we wanted to go find a friend, we couldn't call them on their cell - we had to go look for them. We had to plan times to meet ahead of time haha. If our parents needed us during the day, they rode around the lake to find us. We were allowed to go anywhere as long as we stayed in the lake (2.5? miles around). We were safe. It was a time full of freedom and joy and innocence. What's crazy is that I'm not even that old!!! I'm only 25 - my childhood wasn't THAT long ago was it? Yet so so much has changed.

I love being here in the summer. I hope the younger generation is enjoying themselves now as much as we did.

Here's Raymond on MomMom & Papa's back porch. They have so many fun toys!

Here's the view from my old bedroom. How many nights I spent looking out this window, talking to God, dreaming of my future and just growing and learning and contemplating life.

Raymond checking out some new friends we made while eating blueberries

Still eating --- I tried to get a view of the lake in the background - but couldn't on the phone. I have a lot more pictures I'll show at a later time --- from my regular camera - not just my camera phone. I can't wait to upload some of the nature ones I got and some of the cousins!!

Here's our backdeck and portion of the backyard. We used to swim and fish off this dock. During the winters we would ice skate! We have a sailboat, little motor/row boat and paddle boat. There's no gas engines or fast boats allowed on the lake - it's just a small little community 500? houses - it's really pretty and peaceful.

Not everybody could swim off their back deck - we were just lucky because where our house is, we're at the start of a little cove so there's a good flow of water to keep the scum moving haha...and it's not too shallow and not too 'mucky'. There's an underground spring from the house next door all the way to the waterfall/dam - so it's the deepest part of the lake. There used to be a flowing dock out there we would swim to but that's gone. Most of the time, we would swim at first beach though. We had many great birthday parties in this yard and swimming off the deck though. My parents always organized fun games - man, I have so many great memories here that I haven't thought of in so long!!

We are having a great time and it is great to see Raymond enjoying the lake and the family so much. I love the mountains up here and how green everything is. I love love love where we are on the coast of N.C. but Lake Shawnee in the summer is just right up there on my favorite things. I love how green everything is! On the coast we have a lot of sand and palm trees and not a lot of green.

I love the hills and mountains and all the animals we've been seeing. We have seen beaver, turtles, fish (of course), lots of HUGE squirrels - I forgot how big the squirrels were haha, chipmunks, lots of birds --- and we almost saw a bear - and I'm real glad we didn't. We have been walking around the lake every night! (MAN! Those hills are killer! I am getting in great shape just from those 2 big hills we climb daily) and 2 nights ago - a man stopped us and said... wow did you see that bear!? Thank God we didn't --- and I RAN the rest of the way home! :)

I'm so thankful for my hometown. But I also can't wait to go home too! :) I miss Brandon terribly but I'm just not letting myself talk about missing home and him too much. I want to focus on the blessings we have from being up here!

Life is good, because God is great! :)