Count it all JOY!

2008-09-28T19:26:00.006-05:00

Welcome to the 8th Annual Grandma Hewitt Wiener Roast
Another year has flown by! And, here we are, back for another wiener roast! Notice the snazzy shirts. Pretty neat, huh? Do you suppose this will become a tradition, too? Here's our littlest camper!

And, here he is with his favorite people! No wiener roast is complete without the famous bubble machine!

Or, without wieners!

And, after the food, we all had a good time sitting around the fire. The activities don't really change from one year to the next, but it is fun to have everyone enjoying the time together!

Popcorn was a new item on the menu this year. I'm afraid it wasn't entirely successful! Unless you like your popcorn burnt! (Actually, mine turned out okay, but David and Doug weren't as successful!)

The weather was perfect - in the 50's and clear. The mosquitoes were non-existent - because of all the smoke from the fire, I guess. And, the company was superb.

A good time was had by all, I think. I know I had a great time! See you, again, next September! Perhaps we can get a full turnout next year. Okay, Andy, Bob/Janet, Wes, and Ted/family? Thanks to one and all for the memories!
Y

2008-09-08T21:35:00.006-05:00

Happy Grandparents' Day!Frankly, I don't even know where Grandparents' Day came from. I probably just didn't notice because I wasn't a grandparent. I'm sure it is a Hallmark event - meant to sell cards or something. But, this year, it had a whole new meaning - Grandpa and I were invited to Grant's daycare (along with every other child's grandparent) to enjoy snacktime with the kids.Grant wouldn't eat his snack unless I was sitting right next to him - I tried to move out of the way, but he would cry. So, being Grandma, I stayed right where he wanted me. No pictures of Grandpa, I'm afraid. Grant only had eyes for me for some reason, so Grandpa took pictures.
But, lest we forget, Grant is Grandpa's boy, too. After all, who else would teach him the touchdown dance??

This Grandparent gig is the best!

Thanks to Matt and Whitney for sharing!

Thanks to Grant for being such a joy to spend time with!

2008-09-08T20:26:00.002-05:00

Matt's First Birthday Revisited I've been trying to upload these photos off and on for the last couple weeks and couldn't get Blogger to cooperate with me. I have a feeling it is because of my slow connection. Anyway - I dug out a few photos of Matt to see how Matt compared with Grant at age 1.
That is one ugly cake, isn't it?? Is that mustard-yellow frosting? Who wouldn't want to eat that, I ask you! But, it is a good picture of Ma with Matt!
I don't see much resemblance between Matt and Grant in the photos. But, in real life, I can see Matt in some of Grant's expressions. How about those nifty young parents?? See? Gary used to have hair!
Matt may not be Grant, but he sure was cute. Hard to believe it has been 28 years since these photos were taken. And, even harder to believe that I still have the same kitchen tile - only with a lot more wear and tear!! Definitely time for a kitchen update!

Hope you enjoyed the trip down Memory Lane.

2008-08-13T08:50:00.000-05:00

Happy First Birthday, Grant!

(And, Happy 31st Birthday, Chip!)Our little "Super G" turned one-year-old on Saturday, 9 August!
What a difference a year makes, huh??
He was remarkably neat with his cake (homemade carrot cake cupcakes). Given the opportunity to make as much a mess as possible, he opted to stay fairly clean. :) Fairly clean or not, after the cake came the bath - which he loved regardless of the cold water. He didn't want to get out.

He (and his mother) opened mounds of presents. At times he preferred the wrapping to the gift, just like any normal, healthy child would. :D
A good time was had by all. Matt and Whitney had badminton, bocci and corn hole set up in the back yard, so there was plenty of entertainment. They served hotdogs, brats, pasta salad, fruit and a number of dips and chips. It was a very nice party and a great way to celebrate the big 1!

Happy Birthday, Grant!

2008-08-12T08:20:00.003-05:00

This past weekend . . .

Ted, Jodi, Chris, Andra and Danielle visted from Virginia. It has been a year and a half since Ted, Jodi and Chris were here last. This is the first chance we've had to meet Andra and Danielle, Ted's girls from his first marriage. It was so terrific to meet them. They are beautiful - in looks and actions. I know Ted is proud of them. I just wish Ma was here to see them. She wanted things to work out for Ted and his girls so badly. Well, I'm sure she knows and is smiling.

It was a whirlwind visit, but everyone had a good time. Perhaps they will get here a little more often now that they live closer. But, I know it is difficult to get away when schedules are so busy. They will be welcome whenever they can get here. As for the girls, they are going back to their mother this month, but we are all hoping they will return next summer for another visit. Now that we've had the chance to get to know them, we sure hope we will see them more often!

2008-08-11T08:04:00.002-05:00

August, 2008 Vacation is over, but as we return to our routines, birthday season is in full swing. Gary turned 55 on the day we returned from our trip and Matt turned 29 one week later.
Hard to believe I'm the mother of a 29-year-old!
Three days after Matt's birthday, the family patriarch turned 85! He had a bumpy spring, but aside from the occasional ache and pain, he is doing well now.
We are blessed with a wonderful family and all of us can thank Dad/Grandpa for what he and Ma started. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATT & GRANDPA!

2008-07-31T16:49:00.002-05:00

One Last Look . . . .After we packed our belongings, I took some shots of the condo. It was a great place for a family vacation.

The condo wasn't very large, but it was perfect for us. I hope we get to visit there again someday!
The final elevator ride down. Gotta wonder what Grant is thinking! :)

2008-07-29T08:22:00.003-05:00

Parting Shots The beach was gorgeous on Saturday! Unfortunately, we were on the way out.
Whitney and I walked 2 miles every morning, but on Saturday we limited ourselves to a mile. Had to take a self-photo to document. :)
When Matt, Gary, Grant and I went down to say goodbye to the gulf, a sunbather pointed us to a shark (or half of a shark). She said it washed up on shore and she was not too thrilled about getting in the water because whatever ate the back half was still out there. Hmmmmm - and I was in the water several times. So were Gary, Matt and Grant! Oh well - all's well that ends well.
Too pretty to leave, huh?
Our customary good-bye photo!

2008-07-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

The Last Beach Day :( Our little surfer dude is walking - when he wants to. He's good for 3-4 steps before he decides crawling is quicker. :)
Eeeeek! Morning hair!!

And, a good time was had by all!

2008-07-25T12:56:00.002-05:00

Thursday - Back to the Beach

After a full day at the beach, we went to supper at Cocodries the only restaurant on the island. Most of the "action" is on the other side of the bridge and we like it that way. The island is very peaceful and the bridge to Navarre is only a couple miles away. This is a wonderful place - really!

2008-07-24T13:18:00.005-05:00

Wednesday . . .. . . began in front of the TV watching cartoons.
Wednesday had been designated sightseeing day, so we were lucky that it turned out to be a stormy day--didn't feel like we needed to spend the day at the beach. We headed for Gulf Breeze in search of Fort Pickens. Turns out, contrary to what I read on the internet, Fort Pickens is not open. If it is open, the road to it is closed, so that was a wasted trip. But, while we were in Gulf Breeze, we ate lunch at a burger joint before we headed for Pensacola. Our next stop was the National Naval Aviation Museum.
Junior Pilot
Grandpa couldn't see what was about to happen, but Grandma was enjoying this almost as much as Grant!
Smack, smack, pull! Repeat!

Here we are in a replica of a WWII era home. Glenn Miller was playing on the radio. :)

Junior Pilor and Mom - Dad missed the plane. :D

Here we are in front of Bob's Flying Machine. Didn't know Bob had such a thing, so we took a picture for all to see.

After the air museum, we drove by the lighthouse. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is only open to the public on Saturdays from noon-3:00.

We finished off the day at Shane's Rib Pit where Grant got his first-ever balloon. He was so excited!

By the time we got back to the condo, the rain was over, paving the way for a beautiful Thursday.

2008-07-23T20:22:00.002-05:00

Tuesday The day began with identical hairdos!
Of course there was more beach time. Grandma will be washing sand out of crevices she didn't know she had for months to come. :)
After a full day at the beach, we headed to Vinny R's for Italian cuisine. Mmmmm - delicious! Grant loves spaghetti!
We had another full day that ended with thundershowers. Nothing better than lightning over the Gulf. Beautiful. I spent time on the porch listening to my new iPod and playing solitaire - until movie time. We watched B Movie to wind up the day. Tomorrow we head out to do some sightseeing.

2008-07-21T19:45:00.003-05:00

Monday in Navarre Beach . . . Monday started out with a little monkey business - Grandpa and Grant rough-housing on the bed.
Grant was a little more comfortable on the beach today. Although, he was really quite good yesterday, too.
Grandma had to get into the act. :)
Dad and Grant were having a blast!

Grant was really enjoying "splash splash."

Mr. Happy was having the time of his little life.

Enough for Grant for one day - back again tomorrow. :)
While Whitney and Matt went sightseeing, Grandpa introduced Grant to the wonderful world of cartoons. G & G were both mesmerized.

We ate at the Cancun Mexican Restaurant, bought a few more groceries and returned for evening walks (except Grant - he zonked pretty quickly).

The end of another perfect day in paradise.

2008-07-20T21:58:00.002-05:00

Second day - first beach day . . . Santa Rosa Sound
West
South

East

These are all views from our balcony. We have a nice large balcony with doors from the living room and the master bedroom. Neat! Plus, both bedrooms have bathrooms. How nice is that? The master bath has a jetted tub - a bit weak on the jets, but all in all, very nice.

Grant and his daddy getting ready for his first real beach experience! Stay tuned for beach fun photos.

2008-07-20T21:02:00.003-05:00

Welcome to our Florida trip -

A lot has happened since I last wrote!! I think my last entry was from the Washington, D.C., trip. Since then, Bob and Janet visited from Boynton Beach, FL; Wes flew in from Oklahoma City and Jake visited twice. David and Natalie have each had birthdays. And, of course, I turned a youthful 56. :)

Matt, Whitney and Grant are going on vacation with us this year! We left on Friday, 18 July, for Navarre Beach, Florida. We stopped at the Best Western in Clanton, Alabama, on the way down. Grant did surprisingly well. He was getting a bit antsy by the time we stopped for the night, but he really did very well for a kid who would rather play than spend his time strapped in a car seat. Of course, his mom spent a lot of time in the back seat trying to entertain him!We are staying at the Sundunes Condominiums - 4th floor, far left. What a view! Obviously, we have a great view of the gulf, but we also have a terrific view of the Santa Rosa Sound out our side picture window.
We went to Publix to fill up our kitchen. Then, we took a walk to check out the beach. Grant liked the water - splash, splash. (Unfortunately, I took the pictures without the memory card in the camera and I forgot my USB cable. Oh well.) After supper at Sal's Pizzeria, Grant crashed! This is our first sunset - not much of one, but still pretty.

See the Santa Rosa Sound? This is a beautiful place!

2008-04-28T07:11:00.004-05:00

Home Again, Finnegan Thanks to computer glitches, it has taken me quite a while to finish my story! But, we left Alexandria about 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 11 April. It took us a while to get out of town, but once we did, we had clear sailing - for most of the trip. We ran into rain in West Virginia and stopped at Arby's to eat during a storm. After that, the weather began to clear.
Difficult to get a good photo from a moving vehicle, but I persisted, anyway!
After the rainy weather, there was a beautiful sunset. My extra-special thanks to David and Natalie for a wonderful trip. I had a great time and was thrilled to be included in their vacation! (If you return to DC before I'm too old to do all that walking, maybe you will invite me to go along again.)
Love you both!
Y

2008-04-22T23:19:00.002-05:00

Old Town Alexandria, VAWe didn't make many stops in Old Town simply because we were eager to get on the road. We stayed in the Sheraton Suites in Alexandria, but spent our days in Washington, so this trip on the way out of town was all we really had time for. This is the inside of Christ Church - the church attended by George Washington and Robert E. Lee.
The is George Washington's family pew, as noted by the marker below.

This photo doesn't really show up very well, but on either side of the altar are hangings of the ten commandments, the Lord's prayer and the Apostles' Creed. They are the original hangings and were hand-painted by the architect. Amazing! President Washington looked at the very same thing. I sat in his pew, too. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), it didn't make me any more presidential!
Note the original cobblestone street and the view of the Potomac! What a beautiful town, full of colonial history. Maybe we will be able to spend more time next time.

2008-04-22T22:57:00.002-05:00

Our Last Night in DC On our last night, we stayed in DC to see the Capitol and the Washington Monument after dark.
It is really impressive to see the capitol all lit up.
Isn't that pretty?
This is a Civil War monument by the reflecting pool.
We didn't have the time or energy to see all the monuments at night, but we did see a neat way to see more next time - a segway tour. For a mere $70 per person, you can take a segway tour of the monuments at night. That sounds expensive - but worth it! We saw a group making their rounds and it looked like so much fun. If we start saving now, perhaps we will be able to afford that when we go back (assuming that I am invited when they decide to return to Washington, D.C.).

Anyway, as you can see, even after a long day (which included more walking than the previous days, I'm sure), our sense of humor was still intact! We had a wonderful time and even though we hated to give up and head for home, I think it was time for a rest! I love to walk, but we really took it to the extreme! While it would be impossible to see it all, we saw a lot - and made note of what to see next time.

2008-04-21T17:15:00.005-05:00

The National Cathedral . . . . . . was next on our list of sights to see. We took the Metro to Tenleytown and walked somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15 blocks (I'm guessing). Whatever the distance, it was a l-o-n-g walk. But it was worth it. Unfortunately, we got there after the guided tours were done for the day and after the gift shop closed. But, we wandered around inside and out and saw plenty.

This will have to go on our list of things to see next time we go to Washington. It would be interesting to hear the history and lore that are part of the church.

We headed to a Metro bus stop and caught a bus back to Tenleytown where we caught the Metro to Capitol South. There we ate at Bullfeathers, another hangout of the upwardly mobile. The meal was delicious and the place was fascinating - a great place for people watching.

The day's not over yet!

2008-04-21T09:28:00.005-05:00

Onward to the Zoo On our way to the National Zoo, we stopped at a restaurant called Medaterra, a Mediterranean place specializing in Greek food and seafood. I had a crab cake sandwich - mmmmmm. It was a gorgeous day and we ate our meal at the sidewalk cafe.
The zoo was another hike from the restaurant. So far, walking less than the day before isn't panning out. :)
The highlight of the zoo is the panda exhibit. I'm not sure which panda this is - male or female, but we never saw more than two. Don't know if the cub, who would be nearly 3 years old by now, I guess, is even there. Guess if we'd taken time to read the signs, we'd know - but there were just so many people in that area.
They are fascinating to watch - they have such personality!
While we looked at more exhibits, we weren't really impressed. Louisville has such a beautiful zoo that the National Zoo actually paled in comparison. Plus, the National Zoo doesn't seem to have a circular path, so you see going back up hill what you saw going down (knowing full well you were going to have to climb that hill back to the top). It wasn't as "user friendly" as our zoo - but it was free while our zoo is not. Still, I think a trip to our zoo is in my future. We had a good time and the panda exhibit was well worth the trip - the other exhibits were fun, too - just not as nice as Louisville (in my humble opinion).

2008-04-19T06:43:00.006-05:00

More Arlington . . .Among the notables we saw were President Kennedy and Jackie Onassis who are buried along with two of their children by the eternal flame (which is not in the photo because jockeying for the perfect photo was not possible with the crowd of onlookers in attendance).
This is the memorial for President Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln and his family.
This is the marker for Oliver Wendell Holmes, who served in the Civil War and later became a Justice of the Supreme Court. He lived from 1841-1935.
We didn't see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but we saw a wreath ceremony - very impressive.
In the distance is Arlington House - home of Robert E. Lee until he joined the Confederacy. The home belonged to his wife and he lived there for about 4 years. It was in the process of renovation, so we weren't able to see much inside (but it was quite a hike to get up to it).
"Beneath this stone repose the bones of two thousand one hundred and eleven unknown soldiers gathered after the [Civil] war from the fields of Bull Run and the route to the Rappahannock." Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber, World Heavyweight Champion - 1937-1949
Memorial for the 101st Airborne Division

We say good-bye to Arlington, and . . .

. . . with David leading the way, we head back to the Metro and on to the National Zoo!

2008-04-18T22:45:00.004-05:00

Washington, D.C. - Day 3Day 3 began at Arlington Cemetery. What a gorgeous morning. It started a bit cool, but it didn't take long to warm up! We took the Metro from Reagan to Arlington, stopped at the welcome center for me to make a pit stop, then started our hike to see the sights.
There were several school groups and tours and they headed off toward the JFK Memorial, so we headed out to see the Marine Memorial. The statue of the marines at Iwo Jima is really impressive (and we were fortunate enough to see it without all the crowds).
It is mind-boggling to see so many graves, knowing that so many have died for our freedom.
As we walked back from the Marine Memorial, we saw preparations being made for a funeral. Each veteran receives a 21-gun salute and a bugler plays "Taps." These servicemen were out there, standing at attention, in full dress uniforms (in what was rapidly becoming a very warm day) for at least a half hour before the funeral procession arrived.
No, this is not President Taft's headstone. We saw President Taft's grave near this one, so we assumed there was some relation, but the reason I photographed this one is because it says under his wife's name, "Beloved Wife, Mother, Best Friend, Homemaker Extraordinaire." I like that - I think I want that on my headstone (eventually!).

2008-04-16T17:36:00.004-05:00

More of Day 2As you circle the tidal basin on the way to the Jefferson Memorial, you walk through the Roosevelt Memorial. There are quite a few statues depicting the life and times during Roosevelt's presidency.

Finally, the Jefferson Memorial comes into view. You can't imagine how far we walked to get this far! And the walking wasn't over yet. Thomas Jefferson had some mighty big feet, didn't he?? Bet he had a tough time buying shoes!Fortunately, the kids were there to hold the building up! Can you imagine the disaster that might have ensued??Isn't that beautiful?We walked all the way back to the Smithsonian Metro stop and boarded the subway, getting off at Capitol South. We ate at a neat Mexican restaurant - Tortilla Coast. The place was filled with upwardly mobile young professionals - fresh from Capitol Hill. The food was delicious, the crowd interesting and the time off our feet very much appreciated. After supper, we headed back to Reagan and on to the hotel . . . . . . looking forward to Day 3, which promised much less walking! (But, we will see about that!!)

2008-04-15T21:20:00.004-05:00

More of Day 2

On to the Lincoln Memorial.

The Washington Monument as viewed from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

To say we were tired is an understatement!

But, that didn't stop us from heading over to the Vietnam Memorial!

And, from there to the Korean War Memorial, which is really kind of eerie. The statues are all life-size and emotional. A very strange, maybe even uncomfortable, sight. Perhaps thought-provoking is a better way to put it.
Now on to the Jefferson Memorial. Notice Natalie walking in the grass - an attempt at saving her poor feet! Also, notice the cherry blossoms. There are more around the Jefferson Memorial, I think, than anywhere. Very beautiful!

2008-04-14T18:32:00.004-05:00

Day 2 Continues

Our next objective was Lincoln Memorial - seen through the telephoto lens from the Washington Monument. We walked the entire way because we couldn't fine a bus that went to the monuments that wasn't a "tour" bus. Tour buses cost at least $25.00 per person and, at the time, we didn't think it was worth it. In retrospect, it probably was worth every penny, because walking from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial and, finally, to the Jefferson Memorial was a very long walk indeed! To top it off, it finally warmed up. On the way to the Lincoln Memorial, we stopped to see the World War II Memorial. Since Dad/Grandpa was in a ship off the coast of Okinawa, I took this picture.
And, since he is from Pennsylvania, I photographed the Pennsylvania memorial.