As The World Turns....

I know it has been a little while since I last posted. I've been in kinda a funk and a daze. And today seems no different, my eyes are open but my brain continues to hit the snooze button. On March 12 my family lost the matriarch of this family. My Grandmother passed away just about 9 weeks after her youngest son, my uncle Greg, passed away. My grandmother always did things her way. She decided where she wanted to spend her time and energy. She devoted her life to taking care of her oldest son, Tommy, to the church and to her family. She was a trained opera soprano, a Navy wife, the woman in the pew at church with the booming amazing voice and a woman who was always wearing heels, ALWAYS! After Tommy passed away in 1991 she devoted her life to taking care of Greg who was a Type 1 Diabetic. My Grandmother created a holiday just for her Grandkids, called Granddaughters Day (although we frequently included my cousin Nick :) ) and she always made some kind of special treat, her cupcakes were always AMAZING! We would decorate the light that hung over the dining room table with streamers and balloons and would dress up in dresses and dance around to music for hours on end. As I got older she wasn't always around because she was occupied with Greg or with church events, but she was always on my mind, especially during special events that she was not present at. She was not at my high school graduation, my wedding or graduation from Nursing School. She did not meet my son until he was about 18 months and unfortunately she never got to hold her great-granddaughter. She only saw her in pictures and once on web cam. In the last few years she dealt with her own failing health. My Grandfather was always there to take care of her. After Greg passed away it seemed like she lost the will to live and her health seemed to rapidly decline. My grandmother always did things on her terms and her way. On March 12 she went home to be with the Lord and see her two beloved sons again. She is buried next to Greg who is buried next to Tommy. She has left behind a sister, a husband of 61 years, 3 sons, a daughter, 11 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. I never thought it would be as difficult as it was to say goodbye to her, but I know she is looking down and watching over all of us.
RIP Grandma...You Will Be Missed!


Abby Looking For The Duck In Great-Poppops Hand



There's That Duck Noise Again!

Abby And Great-Grandpa Meeting For The First Time...Match Made In Heaven!
I stayed in Florida for a week after the funeral to spend some time with my family and see some old friends. It had been almost a year since I had gone back to Florida. Last time we were there we visited with a lot of my husbands family, so this time around I needed to see a lot of my own family and friends. I saw my best friend Toes and finally got to meet her boyfriend. She went to Downtown Disney with the kids but got rained out shortly after we arrived :-( I still think we all had a good time though! My mom and dad relished in the time they got to spend with their grandkids. Mom and I were able to go out for Mani/Pedis while dad watched the kids (even though I put them down for naps before we left). That was so relaxing and I enjoyed spending time with my mom. We also took the kids to Lion Country Safari. I don't think I'll ever get tired of that place. Especially when they keep adding things to the park. The kids enjoyed the water park and slept all the way home!

Abby Walking Around The Water Park With Some Attitude While Thomas Has Control Of The Water Cannon...LOL!!



Thomas On The Carousel And Abby Staring At The Flamingos. She ♥ed Them!

In With The Larakeets. Mom And Thomas Holding The Nector Waiting For A Few To Come Over. Abby Was Able To Pet One Finally!

I was also able to visit with one of my oldest friends and her mom. It was SOOOOO Good to see Katie and her mom, MAMA MIMI. It has been about 5 years since I have seen them. They finally got to meet the kiddos. We all had lunch at a pizza place in Coral Springs that is popular with the sports community and afterwards we went back to Mimi's house for a movie and toys!! Katie is expecting her first baby in August (SOO EXCITED!!) so I was helping her out with some tips and even made her change a diaper, LOL, that was so much fun! I hope we don't let 5 years go by again without a visit old friend!

Getting back to Vegas was no easy task. Unfortunately we missed our first flight on Monday by a few minutes and were stuck in Orlando until the next morning. So I made the most of the situation we had once we were settled into a hotel room for the night. I was able to go on a nice long walk with the kiddos in search of supplies for the following morning and dinner. Thank goodness our hotel was around a lot of restaurants and things. After finding milk, pop tarts and a small pack of diapers for Abby we were off to find some grub for dinner. I wasn't about to go for fast food again, the stomach couldn't handle it. We came across a cracker barrel about 1 1/2 blocks from the hotel. Yum, Thomas ate really well, Abby enjoyed some chicken and dumplings as well as carrots and applesauce and green beans and their amazing biscuits. We had a nice, windy walk back to the hotel were it was bath and early bed time for a 4am wake up in order to catch the shuttle back to the airport. We got back to Las Vegas yesterday around 11am Vegas time, which is a 3 hour difference from what our bodies had accustomed to in Florida. I have to say it is good to be back to the apartment and see my hubby and Charlie dog. Florida will always have a special place in my life.

Until Next Time My Friends...