A Dog's Life

Unfortunately for Wagner it is back to life, back to reality, back to the here and now. He had the excitement of Granny and Grandpa's dogs Tess and Toby to keep him preoccupied when we returned to school. Unfortunately, they left over the weekend and we headed back for our second week of school on Monday. He is now home alone and having to accept it. Don't worry Wagner, there is always next summer!

the grandparents were here

We were blessed these last two weeks to be visited by both sets of grandparents. Grandpa and Nana Guske came for a week to hang with the kids while I returned to school for my pre-service days.



Grandpa and Granny Morgan arrived the day after the Guskes left. While the kids and I were back in school, Grandpa and Granny performed "home watch' duties as the Lancaster had a series of visitors who needed to perform minor repairs from our punch list.



Not only does it take a village to raise a child but to build a house as well. Many thanks to the grands for all of their help. Please come back and visit again soon!

For the first time ever Mason was able to perform board breaks for family members other than just us. Last night he became a 2nd degree recommended black belt. If he breaks his boards again in October he will be an official 2nd degree. Might be time for me to start planning another party, everyone is invited!

Family Photo Shoot

Each spring I attend a fundraiser to support Mason's former preschool. I enjoy staying in touch with his former teachers and especially enjoy the chance to a win a really great raffle prize. This year I won a free family photo shoot at a location of our choice. The photographer and I decided on a boardwalk at a local park not more than 2 miles from our house. It was a beautiful evening with a perfect sunset but it was HOT and HUMID. Surprisingly, in the photos you cannot tell that we were dripping with sweat. As a matter of fact, the pictures turned out so well that I cannot pick a favorite. I want to print an extra large copy of one of the following pictures to hang in our new house. Can you help me decide which one?

the Landcaster's gift

The Landcaster received her first gift. It arrived in the mail from my very creative sister-in-law. It was a bucket full of home improvement tools. Angie is always so thoughtful! Thanks Angie, we loved it!

Our 23rd Wedding Anniversary

Today is our 23rd wedding anniversary. I thought I would post a funny anniversary quote on Darin's facebook wall. Since I have zero creativity of my own, I decided to try a google search.

At first I found...

Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day. ~Gene Perret

... but it seemed a little too serious.

Then I found ...

The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds - they mature slowly. ~Peter De Vries

... I liked it because it related to Darin's line of work but it didn't really pertain to our marriage.

And then I found the one...

It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~Rita Rudner

... doesn't it just make you laugh. So what do you think? Did I make the right choice or you do have a better quote? If so, post it on Darin's facebook wall.

Happy Anniversary Honey!



Above is a "sneak peak" of a family photo shoot we had last week. Check back, more pictures to come.

The Landcaster Pool

Fail Blog

This quick post is for Darin. It combines two of his favorite things: Shark Valley in Everglades National Park and failblog.org. Since it is the middle of the week, I thought we could all use a good laugh.

The Before

Two and half months that's all it took. Remember our first post back on May 21st? And then again on June 11th? We were starting to wonder if the builder would fulfill their promise and have our house completed by August 1st. To our utter amazement they did!

Looking back:















The completed Lancaster:

entry way and living room

formal dining room

breakfast nook and family room

kitchen

downstairs hallway

walk-in pantry (my favorite and the sole reason I chose the Lancaster)

Harry Potter's room under the stairs

master bedroom

master bathroom

Next post, the pool.

We are moving

Our blog will be on hiatus this week as we are in the process of moving into the Lancaster. Please check back with us next week to see the Lancaster from start to finish.