Nearing the end!

We have been busy busy organizing our house and getting it set up to put on the market. Although it's a few weeks before the kids and I leave, we're trying to pack everything in! It's also been fun talking about and planning our grand road trip to WA. Although we'll have little time for play, it's fun to see all the states we will be travelling through! It should take us roughly five days from start to finish and that's not making any stops along the way (besides to sleep at night). If it were up to Lyndon, we would take turns driving and would sleep in the car so we could get there sooner!



Last Friday we spent a fun impromptu Friday happy hour with The Ferguson's before we went to Orlando and they left on a two week vacation to NC. We have been so lucky here in Florida to have met such wonderful friends we have so much in common with! Robert is here short-term with Bank of America and they'll be moving back to NC in January so it works for both of us - it's been a fun fling! Kidding of course. We look forward to a long friendship with them and are already planning our Napa Valley vacation in the next couple of years!

Last weekend we spent at Disney World. On Saturday the four of us went to Hollywood Studios and it was quite a change from our last outing! Now that Isaac is walking, it's a new adventure! Lines are not so fun but he entertains many of the bystanders!

On Sunday I attended a Zumba certification course and now am ready to teach if I want to. I didn't go so much as to actually teach the course BUT seeing as how we're leaving FL and this is my MAIN source of exercise, figured it would be worth it to get certified. If in the future I can pick up a couple of classes then great! While I was at training, Lyndon and the kids went to Magic Kingdom and had a blast! He took them both on every ride they could go on! By the time they picked me up from my training, the kids were drained and ready for the drive home!

This past Thursday we hooked up with The Brook's family at the Gainsville mall and had fun at the play center and later got some ice cream. We are really going to miss them too when we're gone! Although we don't see them nearly as much as we'd like because of the distance - we always enjoy the time we spend with them!

On the job front, I am still applying for jobs here and there in the NW. I've learned that it's best to be picky and find what really suits my experience AND what I really want to do for the rest of my life. It's a great feeling to know that whenever I next get a job, I could end up staying for a really long time - but at the same time it's good to know that I can always find something now and can change later. We'll see what ends up happening!

Welcome Riley!!!

Congrats to Mark and Nikki Turpen who welcomed their baby boy on September 12th. Riley Turpen was 5 weeks early and weighed 4lb. 11oz. He and Nicole are doing wonderfully and are set to leave the hospital later today.

We can't wait to meet him!!!

MIAMI!

I'm finally posting about my FUN trip to MIAMI this past weekend! It was definitely a well deserved trip for my friend Jessica and I. With our family's impending departure from Florida, I definitely had to take advantage of a free weekend and take a mommy's getaway with my Florida BFF!

We left Friday night when the hubby's got home from work and took a fabulous road trip down to Miami. The scenery was at times beautiful and at times full of landfills but nothing could stop us from enjoying our time together, chatting, listening to music WE loved and not having to stop to change movies, take kids to go potty or anything of the sort!

We arrived in MIAMI around 10pm - bedtime for most - but the beginning of the nightlife in MIAMI. Sooooo, we of course had to take advantage of every minute of our free-time and met some of Jessica's friends out at an Irish bar in South Beach. Totally my kind of place - beer drinking, fun-having kinda people! It was great. We played pool and just had a good time relaxing with the locals. It was a late night but it was no biggie since we were able to sleep in until 10am the next morning! Seriously, when was the last time that happened? Definitely NOT since Sydney was born!!!

Saturday after we woke up we hit South Beach. Books, magazines and chairs in hand, we relaxed. It was one of the most carefree times I can remember. We chatted, watched the beach-goers, had a few cocktails and floated in the water. It was GREAT! We even saw a guy being arrested on the beach and saw some paparazzi scoping out the crowd! Being a Washingtonian, the only beaches I know are rocky and bunny up against cold waters! This water was warm - but still a relief from the hot Miami weather - it was great. After our beach excursion, I was happy (but burned) and we hit a Cuban dive form some dinner - it was memorable.

Saturday night was the most interesting. We headed back to our familiar Irish Pub and decided our night had to be more memorable than that - seeing as how we were in South Beach and all! So we hitched a ride with some unknown locals and they brought us to this club called The Fifth. We got some lucky VIP passes there and hung out with this fabulous makeup/hair artist guy and his entourage and danced the night away. Anyone who knows me knows how I can dance the night away!

Needless to say, it was a late night but we made it home and were so happy to return to our lovely families and especially our lovely husbands who supported our grand girlie getaway! Lyndon is such a wonderful daddy and I'm so proud he's such a competent and hands on dad!

Seriously though - we all need our girls!!! Never trust a girl who doesn't have girlfriends!

I missed my children very much but I really felt refreshed when I returned!!!

QUITTERS!!!

Just a shout out to two of the main men in my life - my brother and my dad. It has been one year today since they both quit smoking!!! Dad had smoked since he was in his teens and Justin probably had for a little under ten years. Great job guys and we are SO proud of you!!!

Isaac turns 1

This weekend we celebrated Isaac's first BD! Leading up to the event, Lyndon and I got a babysitter on Saturday for a few hours so we could do some kid-free shopping and dining. It was a real treat for us since we hardly ever get any alone time!

His birthday was fun and he enjoyed cake and cupcakes Sydney and I homemade.

On Monday, we were joined with our friends The Brooks' and The Ferguson's for a little party. It had been more than a couple of months since we had seen The Brooks so that was really nice and as The Ferguson's were just coming back from a weekend NC jaunt, we were happy they could make it too!