A weekend away

 We went out of town for a few days last week. We were heading up to Hilton Head with a brief stop in Savannah to check out the place where  Megan and Marcus are going to get married. Our friends Tom and Teresa went along..so John would have someone to golf with; and his wife Teresa wanted someone to join her for a day at the spa...haha. We had a nice, easy drive up 95 to Savannah. When we got to town we were hungry...but we  John didn't want to go all the way into downtown...so we stopped at a local spot not far from the Mackey House. We joked at first...but then decided to check out The Southern Buffet. We saw a group of law enforcement officers pull up right after us, then a few (what appeared to be) locals...and figured it must be pretty good. It was...not too expensive and pretty tasty. We all agreed it reminded us of "Pop's Casbah" that used to be in downtown Melbourne.Same type building...same type of food...same tasty dessert selections...haha Then it was off for our meeting with one of the owners at the Mackey House. We came down the road....(above)

 and then spotted the house.

We looked around outside and found the spot where Megan wants to have the ceremony. Teresa took John by the arm so he could  "practice" by walking her down the aisle. Then Tom made John pose with me...so he could send it to Megan. (she thought we were all nuts)

We checked out the outdoor covered pavilion.

Then followed the walkway back to the house and went up to the front porch.

What a great porch!                                                                                                                         
 Then we got to see the back deck/pool area where the dancing will be. (most important part...haha)  They have an acrylic cover for over the pool...for more dance room. Plenty of room for tables and chairs, etc. Small screened area off to the side.                                     

 Then we checked out the inside. The furniture will be removed and the food will be set up  in these areas.

 This room is also for food/drinks, etc. Tom and Teresa acted like part of the party.

 We looked at the Bride's room and the Groom's room.(they were downstairs)

 Nice flowers at the bottom of the front entrance. Good place for pictures.

 Another view of the place as were were heading out.

                              I think it's going to work out nicely...we are looking forward to it!

Now we're making progress.........

Megan and Marcus got engaged during their trip to Hawaii last month. It was  all very exciting and then....a little overwhelming. Once she/we started looking at dates, locations, etc....things started to get a little complicated. Of course there is no way one date is going to work for everyone we want to be there....but still we were trying to figure out what would work best for the most people...and most importantly for Megan and Marcus.Then it was a question of where? The only people here are John and I, my brothers and Megan's God parents (and some friends of course)...but most family members of both the bride and groom live elsewhere. Megan did not want it in DC....and she wasn't sure about FL....so we started looking at other options. Welll....first off....everything is $$$$$$. We re-grouped...started looking at what we thought were less expensive options. Less expensive in the we wouldn't have to pay for the site (Sandy and Ken's property in TN) but then by the time you added up the cost of renting tables, chairs, a tent, etc...it wasn't that much of a savings...plus we would have had to schlep around with all kinds of gear...which was not exactly appealing either. Megan found a spot in Savannah...that wasn't outrageously expensive...had flowers and trees on a nice property, the price covered the venue, tables, chairs, centerpieces, etc...which would make life easier for everyone involved...and it's kind of in the middle. (not to mention a nice destination) . We "hired" Brenna as the wedding planner/negotiator...since she is good at that type of thing...and Megan and I are not...haha. She started calling places...here's what we have to spend...what can you do for us...type thing...so things were moving along.
Next up...our friend Christine suggested Megan have some fun and go look at dresses...she said we won't bring your purse...we'll just look. They went to a few places and tried on some nice dresses...but that led to the next reality check. Wedding dresses are expensive...and as far as I'm concerned it's a racket. I would equate it to the baggage policy on the airlines. ( You know....they give you one price that sounds good....but you pay extra for bags, food, etc)(* Oh I saw something online today...one airline plans to charge $1.00 to use the bathroom! Jeez...what if you don't have change...haha) With the dresses...you might find one that has a good price...but add in $$ for hemming, alterations, bustling...etc and pretty soon you can be spending  almost $300.00 more! What really is irritating is they don't have all the dresses in stock....I get that...but they don't even have a swatch of  say ivory versus white...off white, whatever. Turns out Megan looks better in Ivory...but we aren't going to pay hundreds of dollars for a dress to be sent in...without seeing it first...and most stores have a no return policy...if they order it...you are expected to pay for it first and it cannot be returned. This would make sense if it was a special order...or altered...but if it's coming from another store in the chain...or if it's unavailable at any store...why in the world can't you see what you're paying for. Not everyone has a spare $800.00 sitting around that they can afford to take their chances on getting what they want. can you tell I'm annoyed by this...haha
Well...after lots of aggravation...Megan and Marcus took a quick trip down to Savannah and decided on the venue. They met with a caterer and really enjoyed chatting with the woman, who also had lots of other helpful information/suggestions...so at last...we are making a bit of progress...and Megan is enjoying the whole process a little more. So the Save the Dates have been ordered...and should be going out soon

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

...and now we are moving on to the next details. (and I of course am having a good time working on the play list...(Anne's infinite play list...haha).
We are moving along!

WW5K #5

Tonight was the 5th annual Witch way 5K.

 We weren't sure whether or not we were going to be in

 town or not...but as you can see...we were and we all decided to walk.

 I had on my Gator shirt...Brenna wore her (less popular in these parts) Alabama shirt.
 At the time of the  run/walk Alabama was dominating  in their game with Missouri.

Just before the start of the race...dark clouds were looming in the distance. Actually it appeared that the only storms in Brevard were hanging just around the south beach area. There was no thunder or lightning...so no one really cared too much. Sure enough right when we started...it began to rain lightly. It was very windy as well...so it actually kept us all cool and comfortable. it was a little rough on the hair...haha I took the lead...but it wasn't long before John and Brenna caught up to me. John and I walked together for the second mile of the race, Brenna promised to find us at the end. :)

 At some point John decided to run a little...I on the other hand really wanted to just walk...to see how long it would take me to walk 3.2 miles.

 I reached the finish some time around 44 minutes. Then I walked back to walk in with Brenna.

   The big finish! haha It was kind of funny...people were trying to cheer us on..."Come on you can do it! Keep going!"...I guess they thought if we were walking we had "run out of gas" along the way. I just smiled...why explain..."I'm walking!"...I wasn't even out of breath...but how would they know that.

 Some people wore costumes...this was a crowd favorite...young boy and his parents. He was Batman and his wheelchair/stroller was converted into the "Bat Mobile" His dad was the Riddler...his mom, Cat woman and someone else with them was Bat girl.

 After the race there was a big get-together at Indialantic Shopping Center. Hot dogs, etc from LongDoggers. Candy for the kids who wanted to Trick-or-Treat at the businesses, Bounce Houses, a train (I wanted to ride the train!)Various booths with freebies, music and prizes. It was packed and the kids were loving it...however we wanted to watch football and it was too crowded for that......so we headed up the road to meet Reid, Amy and Chandler for a bite to eat and some football at Coasters.

 It was Brenna's last night be fore heading back to Alabama...so it was kind of fun. Alabama won BIG, the Gators won again, Auburn lost...(yeah!,) and unfortunately LSU beat South Carolina...but that may actually help the Gators in the poll...move us up again....keep  us in the lead in the SEC East.

Is that so.......

Really???????????http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/11/mitt-romney-health-insurance_n_1957419.html
Who does he think is paying for all the trips to the emergency room by uninsured people?
And what about all the people with lousy (and not to mention expensive) insurance???
But don't worry...no one dies because they don't have insurance...........................................B%$*

The week in review

 There was a lot going on last week. It started with a visit to the dentist. I was due for a cleaning and also had a few teeth that needed a little work. All in all it wasn't too bad...the only thing that really hurt was writing the check...haha That and the fact that they found a crack in one tooth that's going to need some work before it cracks and then I would be ... as the dentist said "the word hosed comes to mind"  Oh it's not good when the dentist is making jokes like that! But I like him...and he makes going to the dentist not so bad...and for that I will continue writing the checks.

Last week was also our little neighbor's 2nd birthday. His parents invited a group of friends over to celebrate. They had a bounce house in the back yard and a horse to give rides to the kids. Well...it turned out that the lady who came with the horse was an old friend of ours.....we were in a play group together back when our kids were little. Della has always been great with kids and she loves her horses! (and goats, pigs, rabbits, etc...my girls always enjoyed going to her house to see her animals and ride the horses) It was fun to see her again...and to watch the kids reacting to the horse.(Katie)

 We've had lots of cloudy/rainy days. A little sun at least part of the days... usually enough to heat things up and result in a thunderstorm. It's been very humid and uncomfortable. Still waiting for a cold front to reach us! I know it could be worse...but the humidity makes it kind of miserable.

Friday night, Saturday & Sunday there was an Art Festival in downtown Melbourne. David's art work was featured  on the posters and the programs. He did not actually enter to be judged...he brought his one large piece that has one in several shows...and lots of small ...approx. $38.00 pieces to sell. When we were there it seemed like business was pretty good.
* Our sister Elizabeth and nephew Ryan, decided to fly down from VA for the weekend. Elizabeth had a knee replacement 10 weeks ago...the recovery has been slow going...and extremely hard (which is not unusual...that's why Dr. told me to avoid it if at all possible) She had a ticket and Ryan had a break from University of Virginia...so they hopped on a plane and flew down.
They arrived around 1:30pm Saturday...and came straight from the airport to the show. I met up with them there. We had a tasty lunch at Meg O" Malley's. John picked up Ryan and brought him to a friend's house where the gang was watching the Gators play LSU. Liz and  I walked around the show....then headed back to the house so Liz could give her knee a rest. There was some good entertainment scheduled for the night...but we all went home tired and hot. After the game John and Ryan came home... Ryan took a nap...Liz took a rest, John watched football went to bed and I rinsed off. We all kind of "pooped out" and decided we weren't interested in going back to see Tone Loc in the rain. Well........kind of...Ryan woke up after about an hour and half "nap"...and asked if I'd bring him over for the show. (it started at 10:30pm)...so I took him back and he met up with David and Paul. They had fun.

Sunday we went by boat up to Grills for lunch with Reid, Amy and Chandler. It was great! John and Ryan had thought about going offshore fishing...but decided the weather was too unstable....and they didn't want to deal with rain or rough seas. We opted for the river instead...which meant Amy, Liz and I were happy to go along. When we got back to the dock, Liz and I went back to the Art Show.

 It wouldn't be a trip to Indialantic without going for breakfast at the Blueberry Muffin. Paul joined us...and we took a picture...but I spared Elizabeth...the look on her face was pretty goofy...and there was no way to crop her out and still have Paul and Ryan in the picture...haha

 Almost forgot...Friday I was called for Jury Duty. Had to report to Viera at 8:00am. I reported...signed in and read my book while I waited.I did get picked by one of the three judges hearing cases that day... went upstairs with the group and waited some more...then it was determined that the case had actually been amended...so we were free to go...since it would be heard on another day. Viera Shopping "Center" is conveniently located  nearby...so I stopped by there on my way home. (didn't find anything...but enjoyed looking). Came home and baked a cake (for the guests) hahaha...and was glad the work part of the week was over.
So...that's the week in review........next/this week...who knows.

Creatures

 Lately there's been a lot of creatures around here...trying to make themselves at home. Last year it was the big rat who thought we had a nice "attic". Got rid of that for a hefty price and things were pretty quiet. Every month our bug guy knocks down the spider webs on the back porch....but lately when he comes the dogs get pretty worked up and I think he's afraid to get any closer to the house than neccessary...haha so the spiders are having a fine time out back. I got tired of accidentally walking into webs so I finally got the broom out and started knocking them down and gently relocating them to the great outdoors.( I didn't want to kill them...just encourage them to move along.) I thought I had done well...didn't see any for a day or two...then we had some early morning rain a few days ago and I spotted this web. Pretty cool...shining nicely in the early morning sunshine. The spider wasn't too big and the web looked to nice to destroy...so it's still there for the time being...as soon as I need to get to that part of the porch I'll knock it down...but as far as I know it's till out there.

Sunday we had a group of bees (about 20) that suddenly appeared in the garage and they were all heading to the same opening in the wall. There would be 3-4 at a time crawling in...and Brenna was freaking out....They didn't bother me too much...I didn't see the whole group...but something was definitely up. Brenna called a bee removal service and they said they could come out later that night. They have to wait until dark to work....and had 4 other stops before they got here. There have been Africanized honey bees found in the county and they can be very aggressive if disturbed...they will chase you for  a long time (1000 yards? I think he said) Once they (the bee guys) arrived...they checked in the wall.. and around the area to make sure they hadn't gotten in somewhere else..(they like electrical boxes!).and though they didn't find any bees...they suggested that we probably had some scouts coming to check the place out...and and possibly  releasing (?) pheromones to signal to the rest of the group that they had found a suitable home. If that was the case we could expect the swarm to show up....you know a big ball sized swarm of 100's or thousands of bees.....Brenna was really freaking out now...I kind of thought that would be cool to see...however I was  not really keen on the idea of them living in my garage...haha. The guys blocked off the holes and sprayed something (I don't know what...hopefully not just a can of Raid...) to discourage them from returning....or at least not staying if they did return. We kept the garage door closed the next day and we only saw  one or two or three strays out there looking around. Luckily for us the whole gang, wherever they were,  had moved on to another spot...I guess the scouts came back and decided our garage wasn't so great after all.
Good...................I don't want to pay to move any more creatures!

Just running a little behind

Okay...I just haven't been in the mood to write anything...I've thought about it...but then usually went for a walk or bike ride instead...haha. Or...read a book.(currently have two going one non-fiction - Midnight Rising :John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War by one of my favorite authors...Tony Horwitz. I like his writing style and always have enjoyed civil war history. So far so good.
 Also, on a lighter note...The Innocents by Francesca Segal.  I like the way the author describes her characters. It's about a young Jewish couple in London, recently engaged. The descriptions sort of remind me of the way Maeve Binchy writes.
Paragraphs like this one:"The marriage of a Jewish son is a bittersweet prospect.There is relief, always, that he has navigated the tantalizing and plentiful assemblies of non-Jewish women to whom the children of Diaspora are inevitably exposed: the moment he enters secondary school there is the constant anxiety that a blue-eyed Christina or Mary will lure him away from the tribe." I think I like this because two of my sisters (a brown-eyed Ellen and a blue-eyed Jenifer managed to do just that...haha)and I can't tell you how many times Brenna has met guys...who think Brenna is one of the "tribe"...hahah we laugh every time.
Lisa and I went out to lunch on the 11th with our friend Karen...to celebrate her birthday and to give her a little break from her time helping her mom and her sister Laura. Karen has been spending a lot of time at her mom's and a few hours away from the house was a nice break for her. we were happy things have gotten better enough for her to feel comfortable taking a little time off. We enjoyed reminiscing about old times on Oak Ridge Drive. We all moved there within a year of one another back in 1967......believe it or not. We moved into our house the summer before I started 7th grade at Hoover Jr High...and the three of us began Jr High together. (and if I'm wrong on that date...it was sometime close to that...haha)
We enjoyed soup and sandwiches at the Nomad Cafe in Melbourne. Tasty...Brenna discovered this place before she left town...and when Lisa suggested it...I was all for it. Delicious....definitely worth a trip.
Now...it's about time for bed....after lots of exciting football games today...The Gators are off to a great start!