Helping Mother Earth????

In anticipation of our 2011 family reunion I was looking at the websites Ann gave is for Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. I decided to request additional information for the area so we will have it when it's time to plan for the specific activities we want to do while there. Since the date isn't chosen yet and we could be going Spring of next year, it seemed like a good idea. A few weeks later the first of several thick envelopes began to arrive....

Nice of them to send so many lodging suggestions...only problem I said lodging wasn't needed.

Now why would I want to buy books and clothing from a place I haven't visited yet?

Good thing they ask the questions and then don't pay attention to the answers. If they did, they would save taxpayer money and space in the landfills. :)

Appropriately Named

Kinda makes you want to bang your head up and down, doesn't it?

Sometimes we can hear them practicing when we open our door. I was in a neighbor's apartment the other day and could clearly hear them playing. Thankfully they are respectful with their art, I have yet to hear them jammin' at late hours.

I've seen into the garage a couple times (even talked with one of the band members! no gigs yet but they are getting some songs ready) and they have amps, drums, mics, etc. all set up. It makes me smile when I hear them jammin'. Good thing these boys have parents willing to pay extra money each month for a garage so they can keep their music alive. :)

Hope they are wearing ear plugs...but I doubt it...

Sharing an Idea

Looking for a great activity? My friend MaryRuth put together an activity for the women she attends church with that sounds like it went well and was tons of fun. You can read about "An Evening of Love & Chocolate" here.

P.S. for those with ties to Naperville, Jacqui Hayden goes to church with MaryRuth and is in the food buffet picture. "It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all....it's a small, small world...."

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You...

A couple weeks ago I received a visitor in the mail:

Meet Flat Stanley. He was a real boy until he was flattened by a bulletin board falling on him at school. He realizes that being flat is pretty helpful; when his Mom gets locked out of the house, he can go under the door and let her in. He also helps at school getting small things that fall behind the furniture. He's been really busy lately so he came to my house for a vacation.

His vacation ends April 16 and then I have to send him back to Utah to my niece who sent him to me. He's asked that he return with pictures and/or postcards for her to show her class the things he did while here visiting me. (I want a month long vacation like Stanley!)

I thought I would share the Flat Stanley's story/adventures here too; however, Shayla gets to read them first. After he returns to Utah and she's had him for a few days, I'll get his adventures posted here.

We've had a great time with Stanley visiting us. We have had fun taking him on mini adventures here in our new city and other neighboring towns. Thanks for sending him to us, Shayla!

A Promise from Me to You

Ahem, I place my mouse over my heart and pledge:

"I hereby vow that when visiting and reading your blogs I will leave a comment.
I know how unfun (yes, unfun) it is to put time into a blog post hoping others will enjoy the story & update only to discover
that I seem to be the only one visiting my blog and reading my posts.
I will continue to check for updates on your blog and when a new post appears
Therefore, yea verily, (as Dan would say) I will do my best to leave a note so you know I stopped by
and will no longer be an anonymous reader or observer of your life." :)

Thank you for your attention. I feel better now and can now go about the rest of my day.

Plink, Plink...

When we were all together for my family's Christmas gathering, my sister Annie (not Dan's sister Ann) suggested we all plan to gather in 2011 for a reunion. She and Tyler had picked a location and already started making connections for lodging discounts.
In the flyer Annie stated...
"THE PLAN: We've decided it's time we started having family reunions. We are getting rather large and it's harder and harder to get all of us together. So here's the plan: we want to host a family reunion in 2011.

"Our Family To Do List:

• Decide on a date. Options include summer, UEA, spring break, etc. Off season will be significantly cheaper.
• Plan attractions you want to see
• Gatlinburg
• Pigeon Forge
• Save your pennies for your airfare, food, activities, and rental cars
• Get pumped! Because Pigeon Forge ROCKS!"

This was not a lightly made suggestion. The flyer was very well done with enough attractions listed to tempt any individual. They even prepared our own savings jars to put our pennies in for the trip!

Well, since we don't have a money tree planted anywhere near us Dan and I have been putting aside our pennies, as directed. Sometimes we are able to put away more than just pennies:

Every little bit helps...

Look some we even saved some paper money...

Frequent flyer miles are also being reserved for this trip giving us more pennies for SHOPPING!

oh yeah...and eating and the rides and such too! :)

Family Reunion 2011 HERE WE COME!!!!!!