Just another day in Paradise :)

Last night when we got home from dinner with the McCoys, the kids decided to go to bed with their bathing suits on so they'd be ready for the lake this morning.  Tyler comes in my room at 7:30 AM...... Ready to go! So we packed up while we waited for Olivia to wake up and got our party started.  I knew I wanted to take the kids to get a couple of outfits for school some time today, and when I read on my coupon (imagine that, me with a coupon) that Kohl's opened at 7, I decided that shopping before the lake would be the best way to go.
We got SO MUCH STUFF and saved SO MUCH MONEY!! I got some new Nikes for teaching PE this year, and some Nike Gym Shorts for me, 2 shirts and 2 pairs of shorts, a ten pack of panties, and some sandals for Olivia, 2 tee shirts that came with toys (guess who those were for), some plaid shorts, a 4 pack of boxers, a 6 pack of underwear, and some Levi's for Tyler. Are you ready for the total?...?...?... Do you have a tally in your head yet???..... $114. I saved almost 300 bucks, and spent a little over a hundred.  That's a successful shopping trip if you ask me!
We made it to the lake and there were actually people in the little guard shack thing, and they wanted me to pay them 4 dollars to play in the lake.... which is down like 9 feet from the beginning of the summer.  I didn't stay.  I told the kids we could play in the mud at home for free and I wasn't paying 4 bucks to do something I've been doing for free for 2 years!  So we went down the street to a different beach.  I don't like it as much, but for free, it will do just fine! And, since the water was down so low, we could wade out to a little island which was pretty cool until we got out there and saw that the entire island was covered with goose poop.  It was pretty gross, so we didn't stay long, but it was a new experience all the same. We went back over to the beach, settled into our spot, did a little swimming and a little snacking, and played until lunch time.

I LOVE this expression! This is MY MAN and I'm HIS GIRL!

Later, he was looking for a place to sit, and got a little creative :-)

You can tell from the picture that the beach is not what it used to be... but hopefully it will be better next year.

When we got home, we opened the door to the most delicious smell of garlic and pork roast. I put it in the crock pot before we left, so when we got home, lunch was served :). The whole thing fell apart while I was trying to slice it! It was SO good.  Olivia had a sandwich, Tyler dipped his in bbq sauce, and I dipped out some of the drippings and made gravy for junior and I to have with our pork and rice.  It was phenominal!! Can't wait to have the leftovers :).

After lunch, the kids and I snuggled up in my bed (we all took showers before that) and had a delightful afternoon nap in the comfort of our air conditioned home with the cool breeze of the ceiling fan overhead.

I don't think it gets much better than this, and I couldn't help but to take a few minutes to give thanks for these wonderful blessings and to say a prayer for those less fortunate.  It could easily be me in a homeless shelter, or not having money to pay for our home and the modern comforts, but its not.... which led me to giving MORE thanks for hard working parents who taught me right from wrong, and have always supported me.  They taught me to work hard and keep my priorities in order. I am heartbroken over people who don't have loving Christian homes to prepare them for good lives.  I don't know how I got so lucky, but I sure am glad I did :).