I'm the good witch and the bad witch!

Okay - so as some of you may know, I'm an absolute "Wicked" fanatic! When we were in Niagara Falls, we walked past a conference center on the Canada side and low and behold, a big poster of Wicked was displayed! At first, I freaked at the thought that the tour was right there and I didn't even know it - luckily, or unluckily, it had ended the weekend before. So, I still didn't get to see it, but at least I wasn't close but no cigar either! At any rate, I decided to check for upcoming productions online and it's going to be in Atlanta in October and Birmingham in April! Not sure which one we're going to yet, but Aaron (when I woke him from his sleep to ask) said, sure, we can go! Looking around a little more, I found this quiz you can take to see if you're more like Glinda or more like Elphaba. This is the response - somewhat accurate, although I think we all know that I don't ALWAYS know when to keep my opinions to myself!

Go to http://quiz.ivillage.co.uk/cgi-bin/uk_politics/tests/witch.pl if you want to take the quiz yourself! Happy witch hunting!

You're a bit good, and a bit wicked!

You are a mixture of good witch Glinda, and wicked witch Elphaba. You may have strong opinions, but you know when to keep them to yourself, and try to avoid conflict unless it is absolutely necessary. You like a night out with a big group of friends, and you are often fun and gregarious, but you never try to overshadow anyone. You can be just as happy sitting in a corner chatting to a good pal as you are in the centre of the dance floor prancing round your handbag!

What?!

While we were in Palmyra, we saw this - a vending machine with live bait! Evidently it's pretty common here - they said you can find one anywhere you would normally see a vending machine - even sometimes at car dealers! And they say Alabamians are rednecks!

Kirtland, OH

The last stop in our trip was Kirtland, OH. This is also an important place in our church history and served as a gathering place for the Saints after they left Palmyra. We saw the schoolhouse, the Newell K. Whitney house and store, the Johnson Inn, and then finally, the temple which was the first temple built after the organization of the church. All in all, we had a great, although tiring, trip. We finished out the day in Cincinnati, OH and then drove home last Friday. I would definitely recommend any of these sites for potential trips - we hope to someday go back. Even if we don't, we have some memories that we'll never forget. We got a ton of video too (Aaron bought us a new camera for our anniversary), and if I figure out how to get it in any time soon, I'll upload those too!

Niagara Falls

Our second stop on our vacation was Niagara Falls. We spent most of the first day on the American side of the falls at the State Park. We started out with a movie on the legends that surround the falls and then we went straight for the Maid of the Mist boat ride. We actually rode out in a boat to the bottom of the falls. The views were all just amazing. We also hit the observation tower, ALL the gift shops, and then headed over to the Cave of the Winds. We rode down under the falls in an elevator and then walked out onto a deck that walked along side and somewhat underneath the Bridal Veil part of the American Falls. The upper part is called the Hurricane Deck and we all got drenched! Aaron and Sam loved it the best - we had to basically pry Sam away. What an experience - standing under Niagara Falls! We got back on the trolley that toured all around the State Park and headed to our hotel. We stay at the Sheraton on the Canadian side of the falls, so after making it through customs, we got checked in and went up to our room that had an amazing view of the falls too! Our dinner reservations were at the Fallsview restaurant on the floor below us, also with a view of the falls! Man! Finally, we ended the day up in our room watching fireworks over the Horseshoe falls (closer to the Canadian side). We rounded out our Niagara trip at the Aquarium and Discovery Center. We were then on our way to Kirtland, OH!

Palmyra, NY

We were so excited to finally take a family vacation this year - the first time the four of us have had an actual vacation together (aside from visits to family). Our first stop was Palmyra, NY. This is a very special place in our church history and we had a great time. We started at the Joseph Smith Farm and there toured the log cabin, the frame home (80% original!), the threshing barn, the cooper shop, and the sacred grove. Our second day, we visited the Book of Mormon publication site, the Palmyra temple and then drove out to the Peter Whitmer farm where the church was organized in 1830. We finished up with the Hill Cumorah Pageant - amazing! We've got pictures at each of these places and too many to describe individually. There is one picture where the boys are standing by the rail at the temple looking out over the sacred grove - I think it's my favorite. What a blessing to be in this wonderful place where many important events in the history of the church took place!

It's Time to Party!

Sam had a great first t-ball season this year. They had a perfect season without losing a single regular season game - not bad for a team of first-timers! They made it into the fourth round of tournament and we could not have been more proud! We had party a few weeks ago and had a great time. Way to go, Young Bucks!

Happy Anniversary

Happy 11th baby!

Aaron Update

So along with Aaron's company IntelCell, he has been working as a consultant for a company called Cellulosix out of the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa - War Eagle, nonetheless!). So he entered the Alabama Launchpad Competition with Cellulosix (he won third place and $25K with IntelCell last year) and in April, won second place and $50K. This past week (while on vacation), we got a call to find out that the first place team was disqualified and Aaron and his business partner Micah are now officially the first place winners! That brings their total prize money to $100K that will go toward the development of the product and hopefully another successful company! After so much time and many years of hard work, we are always so grateful to see how our Heavenly Father continues to take care of us and keep us on the right path. I'm also so grateful that my husband works so hard each and every day so that I can stay home with our two precious little ones. Thanks baby!

July 4th

We had a fun fourth this year. The day started at Nana and Poppy's house and lots of swimming. We were small in number this year - just the four of us and Aaron's sister Sara with her son Burley. We missed having all the rest of the family there whether because of vacation, distance, or sickness. However, it was so busy I only got two pictures! We then met my mom and stepdad for dinner and moved on to the Huntsville Stars ballgame. It was raining when we got there, but quit right as the game was starting and left us with really great weather for the rest of the game. Great game too - it was tied at one all for the majority of the game and then in the bottom of the 10th, our first batter, Cole Gillespie, jumped up and knocked one out of the park to win the game. Great finale for the game and introduction for the fireworks. Jack did okay, but he's still not crazy about the noise that comes along with big fireworks. I didn't take my camera into the game, but got a few shots on my phone. I'll get those posted as soon as I figure out how to get them off my camera!

My Little Cowboys

We sent the boys to vacation bible school at New Market Baptist Church this year. My brother was in charge and did a fantastic job. The theme was "Cactus Canyon" and they learned all about blazing trails with the gospel. They even got to ride horses! So, for the big finale, I had to go all out with their attire!

Lake Winnie

Aaron was able to take the day off last Thursday (the 3rd) and we decided to take a long overdue trip to Lake Winnepesaukah outside of Chattanooga. Our friends Mickey and Mary had been raving about their recent trip there, so we decided to give it a try. The boys had the best time - we rode rides, did the paddleboat (with Aaron and Sam paddling...okay, just Aaron), and even managed to do the skylift, although that was tricky getting on holding Jack and dealing with a bum foot! All in all, we had a great time and I would definitely recommend it. My favorite - the water slide I rode in with Sam - we got soaked, but I haven't had that much fun in awhile! The best tip - go on a Thursday - kids get in free and the ride pass is discounted - can't beat that!

Just My Luck!

Yep, it's broken. Luckily, it's just a stress fracture and I only have to wear this stupid boot for three weeks total. These types of fractures are usually from overuse and since I waited so long to train for the Cotton Row Run and packed it all in the two weeks before the race, that's probably what did it. Thankfully, it doesn't hurt when the boot's on, so I'm making it pretty well. Also thankfully, I can still go to the gym, I just have to limit my cardio to the bike. Just something else to deal with!

Catching Up

Okay - so I'm a little behind. The next few posts should hopefully get everyone caught up! First - on Saturday, June 14th, Sam lost his very first tooth! The following Friday, the 20th, he lost his second. They're both already coming in also! He did really great and got a whopping $5 per tooth - man, inflation! We keep telling Sam that we only got a quarter at best per tooth, but I don't think he really gets it. I tried to tell Aaron that I thought the tooth fairy might be going a little overboard, but he thinks it's just right!