Twelve

We celebrated Mason's 12th birthday last week. In a blink of an eye, he has grown into a young man. He is officially as tall as his big sister after a quick growth spurt where he grew a 1/2 inch in just three short weeks. He is spending this birthday in braces from head to toe. After a few complaints, we took Mason back to the orthopedic specialist only to find out that his foot is still fractured. Instead of another cast, Mason has been placed in a brace for the next five weeks.

Sweet Sixteens and Saxophones

Mackenzie attended her first Sweet Sixteen party which has led me to ponder if her sophomore year is going to be the year of 16's. It seems like life's major events go through phases for us. Darin and I have had phases of weddings, baby showers, 1st birthdays, 40th birthdays and an occasional baptism or first communion thrown in for fun.

Tonight's birthday girl chose a hummer limo ride for jewelry shopping, pictures at the pier and a fancy dinner.





Someone we all know and love will be celebrating her 16th in January. I heard a rumor that she wants a trip to New York to watch a talk show instead of a party. If that rumor is true, it makes my heart swell. She is just like her mother who much prefers traveling over spending money on a party that only lasts for a few hours. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. However, you notice that I didn't agree to actually take her to NYC. We will just have to wait and see what happens.



In other noteworthy news, we have another musician in the family. I was hoping he would follow in his sister's percussion footsteps but instead he settled on his own instrument, the alto saxophone.



Mason still prefers sports over music but decided to give band a try his 6th grade year. We decided to rent an instrument rather than purchase just in case he changes his mind.

Labor Day Letdown

We had high hopes of taking another one of our infamous family day excursions today but it just wasn't meant to be. All it took was 10 days with 700 kids and I already picked up a virus. Sadly, I have spent my entire 3 day weekend fighting a sinus infection. Truthfully it is best that we didn't go anywhere thanks to torrential downpours and flooding. As I type, firefighters are battling a blaze at our YMCA which was probably caused by lightning.

I would like to end this post and our Labor Day on an upbeat (pardon the pun).



Marching season has begun! Mackenzie is one of six bass drummers. This year's halftime theme is Hollywood Movies. The band performs the theme songs from E.T., Star Wars, Jaws, and James Bond.

A Limo Night

Exactly one week ago today I was blogging about our anniversary celebration with the kids at the Chapel Grill. Unbeknownst to me, Darin had a little surprise up his sleeve for our actual anniversary on the 20th.

After my last class at school on Tuesday I got a text from Darin saying "on my way" then a few minutes later another text saying "almost there." Meanwhile, I am thinking "what the heck is he talking about?". One of my colleagues walked into my classroom and said "there is a limo in the bus loop, is it for you? You are the only person I know celebrating something special today".

Yep, she blew the surprise! It was Darin and he was there to whisk me away for magical evening.



Darin thought of every detail. He had sushi from our favorite Sushi Bar and a special wine waiting for me in the limo. He took me to the mall to shop and dropped me off at a nail salon for a pedicure before dinner. We had an amazing seafood dinner at Roy's.



We even had time for sunset at the pier before our limo turned back into a pumpkin.





And if you are wondering about the kids, they were not forgotten. They were even in on the surprise, those turkeys! They each had time to go for a quick spin in the limo. The fact that Darin arranged the kids' after school activities without my knowledge took this surprise to the next level. After 25 years, he is still a romantic at heart. The next morning it was hard to go back to reality. I could totally get used to riding in a limo with a driver at my beckon call. It will remain as the best memory from our 25th.





Sorry for the poor quality of pictures in this post. Since this came as a total surprise I didn't have the dslr camera charged and ready to go.

Goin' to the chapel ...

... and we're gonna get married. Gee, I really love you and we're gonna get married. Goin' to the chapel of love.



To celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary we went to the chapel last night ... The Chapel Grill to be exact. The Chapel Grill is the former First Baptist Church, a 65-year old Naples landmark that has been restored and renovated to its original glory to offer guests a restaurant featuring fresh local seafood and specialty steaks. It has been on my dining bucket list since it opened in 2012. I decided to surprise Darin with a special evening there to honor our silver anniversary.



Darin was a little shocked when I mentioned that the kids were going with us. Typically we dine alone on our anniversaries. However, I decided that the kids should join us since we were celebrating such a big milestone. I brought along our old wedding photo albums to share with the kids. It was great to have a picture for each memory we were discussing. The kids enjoyed trying to place a name next to each relative in the photos.





I pre-ordered a small wedding cake from a bakery to match the cake from our reception. It was a basket-weave white cake with raspberry filling. I even remembered to bring the cake topper from our reception. Darin thought the cake tasted exactly the same as our wedding cake.



Mason ordered Kobe beef for the first time and thought it was the best meal of his life. Mackenzie ordered a specialty grilled cheese that ended up having cheeses that were a little too high end for her tastes. The kids were super impressed by the fact that the chef brought us complimentary appetizers and wished us a happy anniversary. Of course the kids weren't up to eating tuna tar-tare.



Our actual anniversary is August 20th which happens to fall on a Tuesday this year. With work and after-school activities such as band and football practices we will be lucky to grab a quick drink at a happy hour. But, until then ...



... Bells will ring
The sun will shine
(whoa-whoa-whoa)
I'll be his and
He'll be mine
We'll love until
The end of time
And we'll never be lonely anymore
Because we're

Goin' to the chapel and we're
Gonna get married
By the Dixie Cups (1964)

Let the waves hit your feet...

... and the sand be your seat. I think one of the most enjoyable activities for the Morgans was seeing the sunset each night at the beach, especially at the pier.



The Morgan kids are the perfect ages for our two kids. Kate and Mackenzie (the teenagers) hang together while Ashlan and Mason (the kids) enjoy similar activities. It is so sweet to see how protective and concerned Mason is for Ashlan's well being. I think he enjoys not being the youngest for once.





We were blessed with some amazing sunsets each night of their stay.





We "shore" did have a great time with the Morgans and look forward to their next visit.

Exploring the Everglades

Since we didn't make it to Dallas this summer, Darin's brother and his family decided to visit us in Naples for four nights. High on their bucket list was an airboat ride in the Everglades.



We picked the prefect day. It was totally clear and the water level was above average allowing the airboat to get up to high speeds. At one point we actually did a 360 degree turn.



We chose to visit an airboat company that operates in the middle of the Big Cypress National Preserve. Along with the airboat tour the company also has an animal sanctuary where you can hold small alligators.

A few of us stepped right up to plate without hesitation when it came to holding the alligators.





Others well, not so much. But in the end everyone eventually came around.













Don't you just love the smile on this alligator!

Next post: Let the sand be your seat ...