Easter Cruise, Part 1 of 3

The younger two had their spring break the week of Easter, so Eric decided to splurge and purchase a cruise to the Bahamas for the 4 of us.  Since the cruise departed Charleston the Saturday before Easter, we had an early visit from the Easter Bunny.  

This was our first year to have only 2 baskets.  :(

We couldn't resist stopping by to see Ashlyn on our way down.  She bought us breakfast in the dorm as we enjoyed lots of hugs.  We left her with a little Easter gift bag of her own and promised we'd see her again in 5 days.

                         

The embarkation process was like herding cattle.  About 2300 passengers had 2 hours to pass through inspection after inspection, line after line, to finally board the ship.

Once aboard, it was time to hit the buffets.  We hadn't eaten since meeting Ashlyn in USC, so we were hungry.  Afterwards, time for a dip in the pools and to explore the ship!  Our little one met a friend early this time. 

CDS Hockey Night

An annual tradition where I work is to enjoy a night of hockey fun with the families we serve, compliments of a generous donor, Sandlapper Securities.

In addition to enjoying the game, I had the privilege of chaperone the "bench warmers" who were CDS children (and some family members) who receive services.  We warmed the bench for the hockey players so they wouldn't have to sit on a cold bench. 

The event raised $10,000 for an incredible organization.  It made me proud to be part of the fun that night. 

The coolest thing was to see us on the big screen!  

Pi Day

In appreciation of National Pi Day (ie. you know, the number 3.141592654 that is used in the formula for circles), I have to make a post about pies.

Our favorite pie in the family is pizza pie, and our favorite local pizza joint is closing.

Here's to pizza, pie, memories, and Joe Schmoes, the best pizza around!

USC Spring Break

The first of two spring breaks involved a trip down to St. Thomas and St. John of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lots of beaches, snorkeling, hiking, and sailing.

We got so accustomed to living on island time. It was great... until we missed our flight back home because we were, once again, relaxing on the beach. After barely hopping on the only other flight out, which was departing to Newark, we got to extend our trip one more day and explore New Jersey before finally heading back home.

Fireplace

Eric and Ashlyn decided to upgrade our fireplace.  We were told it would be a 4-day job, but it turned into a 4 week job.  It looks great, though.   Here's the before & after:

Now to decorate the house with a contemporary look... 

First Snow

Our first snow of the winter seaon!  We had about 3", which was perfect for sledding fun.  

 Next up was snow angels.  My little one sure looked like a sweet angel in the snow.

Finally the neighbors came out to play.  They all three built a cute snowman, but later decided to use it for snow balls.

Afterwards, I got to have a little fun.  We made our own snowgal complete with her own tutu, scarf, and sled.  

Girls Weekend

With my husband and son in Texas to go deer hunting, the little one and I got to spend a fun weekend, just the two of us.

We started off on Friday with shopping, eating lunch at Panera, and going to a painting workshop.

On Saturday, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Cracker Barrel, got a pedicure, and enjoyed the beautiful weather on our bikes.  Church was at 7pm, followed by a movie rental and popcorn from the comfort of our couch.

For our final day, Sunday, we slept in, played board games, had lunch at Outback, and got the grocery shopping done for the school week.

Each day included a little bit of snuggling, cleaning, playing cards, and feeding pets.  Our pets included 1 goldfish, 1 ginuea pig, 2 cats, and 7 frogs.  The neighbors come back tomorrow night!

Here's a picture of the successful hunting trip...

Looking forward to seeing the guys and cooking some delicious chili!