St Augustine

So we visited St. Augustine FL with Dad and Wilba, and Wilba's brother Cleon and his wife Grace. We had a good time visiting Ft. Matanzas....not really sure of the spelling of this....but it was a cool fort. Built back in the 1500's when Spain was defending the area. This is Kait defying Spain by standing behind the keep out sign...she's such a rebel....

Some of the cannons that remain were original cannons from the 1500 and 1600's they were made of iron and 'turned' over the centuries...they actually do a cannon firing at the Fort, but with a newer cannon...and of course no cannon ball....basically its just a big bang...

Once again Kait defying the Spanish by standing on the wall....a very English park lady informed us that this was NOT allowed.....

We had a fun day and always enjoy visiting with Dad and Wilba!

Toga!

Kaitlyn finally got out of the house this weekend and went to a toga party that the Pirates threw. 'Pirates' are a group of girls kinda like a soriety at the high school level. The party was held at the Retreat at the Island Club and she and Becca (Preston's sister) went. They said they had a blast! Unfortunately mom did not attend toga parties in her youth so I had NO clue how to tie a toga. Saftey pins are all that is holding this on! I guess she looks kinda greek...don't you think?

Surfer Girl

My little surfer girl......so we went to buy Kaitlyn a new swim suit....jeez louise...who knew two scraps of material could cost so much....but I digress....we also got a board shirt for her so she can surf and that got me thinking about her first wet suit. Her Dad got this one for her because she was spending summers at the lake in Maine. The water Temp was....well lets just say FREEZING....So this is Kaitlyn in her first wet suit...she was about 4 years old in this picture....OMG where did the time go?

The Boy

Ok, so many of you have been asking what Preston looks like, well I think this is the only picture I have of the two of them together. Preston's step mom took the picture after much coaching at one of his races. I could say all those embarrassing MOM things, like aren't they cute, look at those faces, can you tell they were not thrilled with getting their picture taken, but of course that would be totally undignified for two 15 year olds....

.......Sorry Preston!

Roots and random thoughts

So I was thinking....which I know can be a very dangerous venture.....about roots and what connects us....how life changes in the blink of an eye....how people come in and out of our lives and what we take away from them and what we leave behind.....about how random acts or small words of encouragement can change your direction.....about how much influence we really have over the paths we choose.....have I chosen wisely......have I choosen poorly......who am I in someone's else's story......how family really is who makes your heart feel at home......to be careful who you let into your life.....be even more careful who you cut out......that God loves me no matter what I do or say, and He wants me to know His heart....how no one talks to each other anymore....we twitter, text, email, chat, but never really talk.....to be kind to each other because you don't know that other person's story and how you fit into it....that 15 is hard, joyous, exciting, frustrating, fun.....that 46 is hard, joyous, exciting, frustrating and fun....that we never really take the time to tell the people we love that we love them....i love you....and sometimes it's too late...Roots...what grounds us, what anchors us, our foundation, allowing us to grow and spread out and still remain strong...So I was thinking about roots....my own and those that have been planted...and that I am grateful for every day...and excited about what my future holds...and glad that I am firmly rooted in faith, love and courage....Bring on the next adventure!