So Sad To See You Go...

Dear Caitlin,
     I am so glad that you and Kevin were able to come to the beach with us.  Even though we had some drama going on, I wouldn't have it any other way to have my whole family with me for a week.  I'm glad that I got up early before you left for the airport on Saturday morning to have breakfast with you.  However, as I watched that car pull out of the driveway and head down the street, I felt sad all over again.  I couldn't concentrate on that thought though because we had to pack up to head home.  And packing up to LEAVE vacation was not nearly as fun as packing to go TO vacation...BUT we finally got on the road around 10. 

Justin, Sarah and Parker followed us in one car and Ryan and Allison in another.  We stopped for lunch in Gulf Port.  I had been feeling sick for some reason all day and was just ready to get home; that's when we decided to take a detour.  While Justin and Sarah continued on to Natchitoches, we stopped off in New Orleans to help David and Codi look for an apartment. It was SO HOT back in da boot!  So hot I could barely breathe.  But I think David and Codi have found a place; it is really nice and in an area close to shopping and dining and it's gated too which makes it safe.  After that task was complete, we went over to Ryan's where we would spend the night.  However, everyone was ready to eat by that time and we went to a little pizza place close to his apartment called, Mama Mea's.  I ordered a veggie pizza and it was the BEST one I have ever had.  After dinner we drove not too far to a place called the Creole Creamery; they had delicious ice cream, and I am sorry to say that it must have been a combination of me feeling sick most of the day and the pizza and ice cream that made me really sick by the time we got back to Ryan's apartment.  I took some medicine, climbed into that guest bed of his and slept like a baby (well...not like a baby, since they don't sleep).

When I woke up Sunday morning I was feeling much better and Dad found this cute little place that we had never been to,  Canal Bistro, to have breakfast.  You know, I LOVE having breakfast in New Orleans.  The restaurants are so unique and the dining experience there is like nowhere else in the world.  I had the most fabulous glass of fresh squeezed orange juice I have ever tasted; this place makes all kinds of fresh juices!  And I ordered the Belgium Waffles with fresh strawberries...and of course, a side order of grits that were prepared just perfectly!  After our bellies were full, it was time to hit the road towards home.

It was during that ride home that I really had more time to think and suddenly got quiet.  Dad wanted to know what was wrong with me and I said, "Nothing".  He knew that wasn't true and continued to prod me until I told him how lonely I was going to be this summer.  If I wanted to take in an afternoon movie, this would be the first summer I wouldn't have anybody to go with me.  And shopping...who wants to shop alone?  I just had a sad moment there.  And so, as usual, he made a plan for my Sunday afternoon to make me feel better.  First we went to the mall, where he bought me a new pair of Miss Me Jeans and shorts, along with some really cute shirts.  Then, we headed to the movie theatre to see The Avengers.  It had worked for the time being...he had taken my mind off of my loneliness.

I have so much to do today; I have already been to the doctor for an appointment at 8, cleaned my car out from the trip, am about to head to town to wash and vacuum it, pick up the dogs from the vet and then come back home and begin unpacking suitcases and washing laundry.  I suppose it won't be bad staying inside for most of the day since our temperatures here are pretty close to 100!

I can't wait for your next visit in July!  Call me later this afternoon and let's Skype.  I love you and miss you every day...

                                                           I LOVE this picture of us!
                                                                                                                           Love,
                                                                                                                             Mom

P.S.  How do you like the new blog design?!

A "Beachy" Day...

Dear Caitlin,
     After we got all of those groceries unloaded (the elevator came in very handy...), Sarah fed Parker and put her down for a nap.  Then, we headed to the pool (which is right across he street from us...) to enjoy it for a couple of hours.  Once Parker got up from her nap, it was time to take her to the beach.  And can I just say...SHE LOVES THE BEACH!  She wasn't even afraid of the water, which of course, makes our job out there ever more difficult since we have to keep a VERY close eye on her at all times.  I can't WAIT for you to get here tonight, but wanted to share some of the pictures I took of her playing in the sand...

                                                  Don't you just LOVE those sunglasses!

                                    Sarah wrote, "Happy Father's Day" in the sand for Justin!

After the beach, we headed back to get all of that sand off of us and soon afterward, Dad, Justin and David arrived.  Justin and David won their flight in the golf tournament this year!

Well, Justin, Sarah and Parker are all headed back out to the beach this morning (early morning and late afternoon are best for "Baby Girl"...) and the rest of us are just sort of lazing around here.  Hey!  Want to see the view from my balcony?

It's very quiet and peaceful here, with that soft breeze blowing that keeps it from being hot.

Oh, and I bought some marshmallows to roast too!  Look at this great fire pit that sits in our back yard...

We are going to have SO MUCH FUN!  So, HURRY up and get here!!!

                                                                                                Love you and can't WAIT to see you,

                                                                                                                     

Shopping, Shopping and More Shopping:)

Dear Mom,

I am finally getting back on here to write! I haven't been feeling very good these past few days with this awful cold and have been trying to get better so I won't be sick on the trip! Kevin and I are both actually sick and have been taking LOTS of medicine to attempt to get better by tomorrow:) Kevin and I are soooo excited about flying down to the beach to meet y'all tomorrow.. I have been talking about it all week! Well to catch you up on a few things since the last time I wrote...

On Wednesday Kevin and I went shopping in search of a dresser and bed. I felt like we looked for hours and we never could find anything. We both got so frustrated so decided to take a break from looking for furniture and decided to just look around for some other things. This is when we decided to get something with both of our graduation money we had! Well we got something... a new 47" 3D and Smart LCD TV!!!! I am in LOVE with it! Kevin also bought me Tangled on 3D :) Kevin decided to treat me to lunch at Red Robin after all the shopping and it was SOO good! Remember we ate there that one time when we went to California. We sat at home the rest of the night and watched the new Sherlock Holmes and Tangled.. such a great way to end a day!

Having a freckled lemonade at Red Robin:) Yum!!

This is our new TV with our new TV stand:)

Yesterday, I figured I would go out and attempt to find a dresser and bed at some of the flee markets and some stores that were having some sales. The first stop I would make was at TJMax:) One of our favorite places to shop. This one is HUGE and has tons of furniture and so much cute decorating stuff. To my surprise I wasn't able to pick anything out though. I ended up getting all emotional because it just wasn't the same shopping on a Saturday by myself. I noticed everyone else had friends or mothers with them shopping around and everyone seemed to be having such a great time. I decided to just leave and go somewhere else because I needed you to be there to help me pick out stuff for the house. My next stop was Bed Bath & Beyond. This store was actually enjoyable to shop at because you know how much I like cooking. I ended up getting all kinds of neat kitchen gadgets and stuff we still needed! I made a few more stops in search for a dresser... World Market, Marshalls, Target, and a few other places. No luck though:( I ended up getting home that evening and decided I would surprise Kevin with dinner:)

For dinner I decided to make something that reminded me of you... Stuffed Bell Peppers:) Kevin was a little unsure about what these actually were.. but to his surprise he LOVED them!! We ended up just relaxing the rest of the night and unpacked a few more things.

stuffed bell peppers before I put them in the oven!

Today, Kevin and I went and tried out a church for the first time. Let's just say it was a little different. I think we will try another one next Sunday and hopefully will find one that is more of a place where we fit in. After church we went to eat at a place called Famous Daves... it is barbecue and it was soooo good! I will have to take you and dad when y'all come visit. As for the rest of the day... it has been a pretty traditional Sunday. I ended up taking a nap for like 3 hours! lol and now just laying around relaxing:)

Well, I better get to packing a small bag to bring with me on vacation tomorrow!! I will see you tomorrow night:) I miss you and love you very much!!

                                                      love, Caitlin

WOW! What A LONG Day...

Dear Caitlin,
     We made it to our beach house rental around 7 p.m. last night.  What started out to be a day full of excitement, ended with some pretty tired travelers.  I REALLY missed you while driving here today...YES!  You KNOW I had a few "directional problems".  OK...well,  here's what happened.  First, let me say that I would like to blame my woes on the GPS system in my vehicle...AGAIN!  The first thing that happened was that, as usual, I put the address into the system and I followed it just like it said.  When it got time to make my exit toward Baton Rouge, it said to go straight...so I did.  I thought it was just going to loop me around another way.  Well, it did; I ended up in Lafayette...and then it sent me BACK to Baton Rouge (ugh!).  Thankfully, it only cost me about 15 minutes in time.  While there, we just decided to go ahead and eat at Jason's Deli.  Parker sure enjoyed some ice cream there...

We got back on the road and I must say that Parker sure enjoyed that DVD player I bought for the car; she watched Dora all the way here; basically she just ate and watched Dora all day!  She really did very good for such a long ride.  However, by the end of the drive she appeared to be deliriously tired.  She would just randomly say our names while STILL watching Dora...Ya Yaaaaaa (she would drag it out...).  And, of course, we are all singing, "We did it, We did it, We did it, YAY!"

When we got here, Sarah, Codi and I quickly checked everything out and grabbed our rooms.  The house is very nice; 3 story, with balconies on every floor and outside each bedroom.  There's an elevator in the house too!  I think I'm going to need it because walking up and down those stairs is already wearing me out.

By the time we got here, we were all hungry but the grill had already closed so we started searching the kitchen for take-out menus; it was quite a ways back to town.  We finally found a pizza place that delivered out here but didn't get our food until around 10:00.  This morning we made a trip into town to buy groceries.  I bought plenty too since this place is so far out of town.

I brought the suitcases that you and Kevin packed before you left...the back of my car was packed to the roof!  But, HEY...I think we have EVERYTHING.

Well, I can't wait for y'all to get here on Monday!  Be sure to let me know what time your plane gets in.  I will be saving you a place out on my balcony to sit with me in the mornings so we can talk and make plans for our lazy days here at the beach.
                                                                               I love you and can't wait for you to get here!
                                                                                                                  Mom

Ready, Set...And We're Off!

Dear Caitlin,
     Well, I successfully got my new partial in this morning.  The ride to Shreveport wasn't too bad, but you know I wasn't going to make a trip there without going to a couple of my favorite stores...

            YEP!  Had to make another stop in here, although I was just here with you a week ago.

                                               Stopped in here too for a couple of things too!

Sadly, I didn't have anyone to eat lunch with so I just ate in the car on my way back home.

When I got back home, I really HAD to tackle that packing since we were planning on leaving Saturday morning at 10.  Sarah and Parker were in town but got back while I was still trying to get all of my stuff together and Parker picked up my camera and INSISTED on having her picture taken for Ca Ca and Kevin!

                       I told her I would take the picture but she would have to say, "Cheese"!

Sissy and Annie have been boarded; I know they are sad but I did let them sleep with me last night and they were so happy.  My suitcases are ready, the car is partially packed and Sarah and Parker are spending the night here tonight with me.  Codi will arrive in the morning and then we are off!  I'm getting excited for everybody to be there and can't wait for y'all to fly in.  This is going to be a GREAT vacation!  See you in 2 DAYS for some FUN IN THE SUN!!!

                                                                                                       Love,
                                                                                                        Mom
       

I LOVE Skype!

Dear Caitlin,
     I LOVE Skype!  I was SO glad to get to sit and talk to you (while seeing your face...) today.  Parker was cute, bossing Kevin around telling him to "Sit down right now!"  Now that I know how to connect with it, we will be able to Skype a LOT.
     Well, I am attempting to pack for the beach.  You know how that goes; while you are so organized with your lists, I am just throwing my things in the floor, as usual...

I'm glad you are feeling better; maybe you just had a little stomach virus.  I hate that I wasn't there to baby you.  Just make sure you sip on some ginger ale and eat crackers; that will make you feel better.  I suppose when you get pregnant, I will have to come stay with you for a while if you get morning sickness.  You KNOW no one can take care of you like your mom does.

I was planning on having an easy day today, but as you know I will be driving to Shreveport instead since I swallowed my temporary partial with my sandwich yesterday (ugh...)!  Just my luck, huh?  I will miss you making that long trip with me.  And our lunch afterwards at Olive Garden.

I loved the pictures you posted of the park and shopping area there in Cleveland; I can't wait for our first visit in July!  You be sure to scope out some good eating and shopping places for us to visit.  And maybe some local places that sell art; maybe we can get something neat for your new apartment.  And by the way, I really like how you've decorated your dining area!  It's so cute.

Oh, I FINALLY got me some TOMS!  Those white crochet ones that I liked so much in Miami...

                                                         SUPER CUTE, aren't they?

Sissy and Annie miss you too.  I think I will let them both sleep with me tonight since Dad is out of town.  I know I shouldn't because they will really whine when I don't let them do it again, but they are going to have to be boarded while we are at the beach and I feel bad for them.

                                                              Don't they look excited?

Well, it will only be 3 more days until I get to see you...I'm so excited!  Can you tell?!

I love you and miss you terribly...can't WAIT to be with you for a week!!!
                                                                                                                LOVE,
                                                                                                                  Mom

P.S.  Did you get the photos I sent you of the new design Kassie is doing for this blog?  You are
        going to LOVE it!

Just Another Day in the North

Dear Mom,

Sorry it has been a few days since I last wrote. Our internet it finally hooked up so now I can write everyday! I have been pretty busy unpacking boxes and getting our apartment decorated. Yesterday we went to Crocker Park to look around a bit and buy some cute decor from anthropologie:) I really can't wait for you and dad to come visit because y'all will both like Crocker Park. I was about to snap a few pictures of the shopping area and will post them. Shopping isn't that same without you ... I don't have anyone to help make decisions. You know me, I talk myself out of everything I really want and actually might need. Kevin has been pretty helpful though. He helped me pick out some cute decor at anthropologie and a few other places. When I tried talking myself out of buying stuff he would reassure me that I DID need it:) Anyways, here are a few pictures of Crocker Park!

So this is the neat little lawn area where they have chairs to sit and have a drink in the shade... or for those husbands that don't really want to shop around;) 

This is the area for all the little kids! So neat, while their parents shop the kids can play in the water to cool off!

This is what all the trash cans look like in Crocker Park.

Of course Kevin and I had to stop here to see what kind of treats they have! Candy Apples:) 

Kevin at the candy shop!

After a long day of shopping we decided to take a little break before heading home.

Look !!! Our favorite store. Now I can always get your lemon spray perfume when I run out:)

These next few photos are of us cooking our first meal in our new place. We made some pancakes! 

yummy!!

Early I know.... This would be me attempting to be a "morning person" ha ha!

Well, today I haven't done much because I got sick last night and still not feeling very well today. I have however been working on finishing up some of the decorations in our apartment so I can post a blog of the before and after. I will be calling very soon so me you and Parker can have our first Skype date:) I miss you and love you very much! See you in 4 days!!!

love, Caitlin