Busy, Busy, Busy

Wow, our summer vacation has finally ended. I believe this was our busiest summer ever and I am actually looking forward to getting back on a schedule... I think. St. Simons, Knoxville, home, Knoxville, home, Wofford (Jake), home, Gatlinburg, home, volleyball stuff. Now volleyball has begun. Try-outs were this past weekend and the first practice was today. Today was also Jake's first day of pre-planning. School starts on Friday... and you know who starts Kindergarten this year. Yes, the Big Man... Caleb!! We go Thursday to meet his teacher. He is SO excited. I am happy and excited but to think that after almost 6 years of being home with him... he will be at school... away from me. I don't think I will cry because I know how much fun he will be having but I will let you know after the fact :)

I wanted to back track and tell you everything else we did this summer but I have to do all of this in pieces :) My three kids and my husband come before blogging and my husband just got home from his first day back at work.

Fourth and Family

So we left St. Simons at 9:30 and arrived in Knoxville at 7:00pm. Because of the many "I gotta go potty" stops we were on the road for over 9 hours!! With the screaming shrieks from Taryn and the many stops this trip seemed longer than 14 hour the trip to Brownwood, TX two years ago. But once we got there and the screaming stopped it was a nice visit.

At 9:00pm on Friday evening we set out with Uncle Wilson, Bryan and the cousins to watch the fireworks at the Worlds Fair Park. What a show! I do not think any of the Dickey family really truly enjoyed it... we were all worn out and ready for bed. That is just what we did when we got back to the house. BED... Sleep... it was beautiful :)

The boys, along with their cousins, spent all of Saturday and most of Sunday out in the yard playing baseball, golf, Power Rangers, and Ben 10. These boys had a Blast! Taryn also had fun... of a different sort. She spent all of her time rearranging Aunt Debbie's candles, Christmas Village, photos, etc. So yes, Jake and I took turns following her around... just making sure she stayed out of trouble.

We had a nice visit :) I feel like I am not doing this trip justice with my blog... but it is 12:19am and we have had a long week. Overall God blessed us with a wonderful week.

Please pray for Jake's grandmother... she is having some health issues and all of the family would really appreciate your prayers. Thanks and we love you!

FCA Camp

We just had the best week ever!! Jake will be leading the F.C.A (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) at his school this coming school year. Because he has never taken on this roll before the Northwest GA F.C.A wanted Jake to go to the annual coaches camp at St. Simons Island. This camp was for coaches and their families... yes, their families!! Our schedule went as follows... 7:30 breakfast, drop off kids, huddle groups, competition, chapel, pick up kids, lunch, free time, dinner, drop off kids, break out session, chapel, adult fellowship, pick up kids at 10:15pm.

It was exciting to be able to drop the kids off and to know they were having a blast but even more exciting was what we got to do while they were making new friends. We were divided, men and women, into small groups called huddles. I was in a huddle with other coaches wives who are also stay at home moms. It was great to be able to share time with these wonderful Christian women. Jake was off doing his male bonding with a great group of men. They had some great Bible study time... Jake took a lot away from their daily discussions. The greatest surprise for Jake was that every day they had a period of competition... huddle vs. huddle... football, wiffle ball, kick ball, and Jake's favorite... volleyball.

I say it was the greatest surprise for Jake but I was just as excited. The women had a choice; walking, aerobics, or competition. The first day I was unsure and I ended up following a very happy lady (who happened to be from Chattanooga) to aerobics... she just had a glow about her that I wanted to get to know a bit better. Well, "Praise Aerobics" is no place to get to know someone. The instructor was tough! I have to admit that I have never been in an aerobics class before. This was the most intense workout I have had in years... and I LOVED every minute of it!! Well, maybe I was not loving it when my leg felt like someone set it on fire but it was a temporary pain that only made me feel stronger in the end. I have to admit that being in a room full of "Praise" posters really helped me fight through the pain. Well, I wanted to go back the next day to see how much tougher it could get but I found out that the competition was going to be volleyball. Great fun. The team I was on did not win but for some reason the other women thought that I had played volleyball somewhere? I was not that good but I guess I was better than most out there. Their comments really made me feel good about my "un-athletic" self :) Then the next day came and I went back out to see what I could do in the competition. Turns out the game of the day, Thursday, was Football! Do you know how excited I was about this? I had not played football since Phi Lambda in 2000! Football was awesome. I caught passes, two-hand tackled, sprinted down the field, intercepted. The other team was pointing at me saying watch out for Lisa she's tricky... she's fast. A field full of former college athletes and coaches... They made me feel special. I know Jake had fun... he is a naturally gifted athlete. For people to say things to me like I was actually an athlete? It just topped of the already great week we were having.

The athletics was fun but what God had to teach us was even better. First of all God's creation of St. Simon's Island is beautiful. The live oak trees with the moss hanging down, the palmetto trees, the flowers, the intercoastal waterway, the sand bars, the beaches, the clouds, the rain, the sun, the sunsets... it was all so beautiful. The huddle group of stay at home coaches wives really helped to strengthen my priorities. I learned a lot from these ladies. The morning Chapel was lead by Doug Duke. He is a marriage and family therapist who specializes in coaches and their families. Of course Jake and my marriage is so awesome that we did not need his help... haha :) He always finished off his session with a music video, usually about spending time with your wife and kids and never missing a moment... can I say I have never seen so many men wiping tears from their eyes when the lights came on. The breakaway session on Tuesday was great. Jake got to hear a talk on Leadership from a "big wig" from the FCA. I got to learn how to focus on my God given dreams from Shannen Fields. She was the lead actress in Facing the giants. Her husband is a football coach in GA so they spent the whole week at camp. Our other breakaway session was on financial preparedness... blah blah... over my head... but Jake understood it all :) The evening Chapel was taught by Scott Pilkington. I believe his lessons were perfect for all of these coaches (and wives too)... especially his lesson on anxiety. The final night the kids (age 5-11) did a performance of two songs that they learned during the week. This was the first time that Caleb actually sang along to the song and did the hand motions... he is growing up (off topic... when we got home today his "need for school" list was in the mail box).

This past week was amazing. I look back at the photos and I want to go back but I look forward to this week. Now that we are home I can put all of my renewed knowledge to work for God.



To see larger photos or if you are unable to view the slide show above... follow the link below. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisadickey/sets/72157606019479034/

Thank You Luke!

Jake's brother flew in to Pensacola from Oregon. He drove to pick up Jake's mother and sister and headed north to our home. This was their first time to visit us in our home and we were so happy that they came. Some time was spent visiting, playing Wii Fit (Melissa is amazing at the plank), Wii Play, Wii Sports, playing Golf (the card game), and walking around Walnut Square. The best memories were made at Ft. Mountain and playing Rock Band.

We drove up to Ft. Mountain after lunch on Friday. The weather could not have been any better. Luke is from Portland where it is always overcast and misty-raining all the time. He was so excited to see the sun! Melissa and Marilyn do not have many chances to see anything other than flat FL... so they were excited to see the hills and mountains of north GA. The sun was bright, the sky was blue with white fluffy clouds, and the lake was nice and cool. We started out splashing in the lake. I tried to put Taryn down but she did not like the way the sand felt on her feet. She loved the river at my grandparents cabin so I thought she would love this little beach and the cool water but she screamed. I guess the sand made her feel unbalanced and it must have scared her. So, she spent the rest of the time in grandma or daddy's lap. Caleb and Taylor loved the water. They followed uncle Luke and aunt Melissa all around the water.

Then came the real fun... paddle boats!! They have a new 5 seater paddle boat so Luke, Melissa, Caleb, Taylor and I were able to ride out together. Luke and Melissa started out paddling then I switched places with Luke. It has been a dream of mine to paddle a paddle boat and I had a blast :) We all had a lot of fun.

That evening we had Paul and Melydia over to play some Rock Band. We were rockin!! See the post below to read more about this and to watch a short video of Jake as a Beastie Boy :)

Sabotage

I was going to wait to post until after Jake's family leaves but something happened last night that I just had to share right now. Like I said Jake's mom, brother, and sister are here. Last night Paul and Melydia came over and we all played Rock Band. This was just part of our after dinner entertainment...

What a Show!

I grew up with a mother who loved storms. As soon as we heard thunder my brother, my mom and I all ran to the porch swing with a blanket. We sat and marveled at the bright flashes of light and the deep rumbles of thunder. I still love a good storm. I will stand on the back deck watching the storm move in. Then I will move to our tiny front porch where I will sit and watch the rain fall down. Our storms are usually just rain and thunder. If I am lucky we will have an occassional flash of lightning.

Tonight was my lucky night. We finally had a lighting storm. It was to the north and to the west so I grabbed my camera and headed to the back deck. I managed to capture two lightning bolt photos and one big flash of light. Follow this link to see the other two photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisadickey/

Mom, thank you for giving me this love for storms.

Getting ready for grandma!

On June 31st Melydia, Taryn and I met up with Lisa S. and her family at the Greek Festival in Chattanooga. There were all types of Greek food. Melydia and I tried the spanakopita and the pastitsio. Both were very delicious. We finished it off with some Greek desserts. Melydia had the Baklava and I tried some type of almond crusted cookie goodness ;) After dinner we were able to enjoy (watching) some traditional Greek dancing. I could not talk Melydia to getting up and joining in :) ... but Taryn really wanted to.

After all of this we journeyed to downtown, to the river walk. I had never been to down town at night... the view from the walking bridge was beautiful... all of the lights reflecting off the river. This is something I will definitely do again.

The last few days have been ordinary. Well, Caleb did loose a second tooth. Other than that we have spent our days playing and cleaning like usual. Today and tomorrow will be full of house work because grandma Marilyn and uncle Luke are coming to visit! This is so exciting because it will be their first time to ever visit us at our place. Grandma M lives in FL and Luke lives in OR so we do not get to see them very often... we are so excited that they are finally coming!

This evening we get to go to an FCA bbq and swim party at the "Country Club". I will try to remember my camera and post about it later :)

Kite and Tooth

Jake had a great plan. He had it all set for his Geometry class to build kites the last few days of school and then take them out to the football field to fly them. Yesterday was the day. The boys and I were so excited. We got ready to go watch all these kites flying. Ha! Poor kids. Out of three classes, split into groups of three, only one group got their kite up. It was GREAT. As soon as they stepped out of the school one of the boys had it going. He moved it to the football field and kept it up in the air the entire time. Thank you whatever your name is for making our drive out to the school worth it :)

When we got home I fixed the kids hot dogs. As Caleb was eating he said mommy I think my tooth came out. Sure enough, his tooth was gone! We new it was loose and that it could come out at anytime. While he was eating a hot dog... his tooth is gone... went down to his belly with his food. I think it might have made Caleb a little sad because he really wanted to see this tooth. He also had a tooth fairy bear to put his tooth in to get a surprise in return but he had no tooth to put in the pocket :( He is still happy though... His tooth fell out before his best friends... Our little competitor.

My Brother Got Married!!

We had a great weekend. We headed out Friday morning to my grandparents cabin outside of Gatlinburg. Caleb and Taylor really enjoyed throwing rocks in the river while Taryn ate rocks (or tried to). Taryn loved playing in the water, she is definitely my outdoor girl... she loves the outdoors!
Sam and Rose arrived and we all visited. Family members began to show up and we had the Rehearsal. Caleb was to be the ring bearer but seeing all these strange faces he began to shy away. He did not want to walk in front of all these people (and this is just the rehearsal). So my mom came up with a plan. Let's bribe him. First attempt to bribe I offered him $5. I said this is enough to buy you one of the small Bionicles you want. He said NO I need a $10 to buy a Big Bionicle. My little deal maker! That was to much for me. I said I guess they don't need a ring bearer. But my mom had to do it. She said Caleb Papa will pay you $10 if you do your job. A silly smile came across his face and he went into wedding mode.
The next day... wedding day! It seemed like any ordinary day. Sam, Rose, her brother and I worked on piecing together the edges of a puzzle. Then they sat and played Magic the gathering while Jake and I took Taryn down to the river to play. Oh, I forgot to say that after the rehearsal my aunt took the boys for dinner, putt-putt, and a night at the Motel. It was nice to have a break but I missed my boys. Now back to wedding day. Around 2 Rose and I started on her hair. She pulled it up in a French Twist and I helped to pin it up and smooth it down. Then she was off to the Lodge... Scatterridge Lodge. Sam hung around waiting on his tux... oh here is another story. Sam left his tux hanging on a door in their apartment!! Luckily their friend decided last minute to come to the wedding. He was able to stop by their apartment and pick up the tux. He made it with a couple of hours to spare!

The Lodge was up on the mountain behind my grandparents cabin but we had to meet at a local church to take a shuttle bus up. A shuttle bus up a mountain... on a one lane road... a bit scary but you could tell this driver was very experienced on this road. The Lodge itself used to be down the mountain. The owner had it moved piece by piece up the mountain and I am glad they did... the views were amazing!

The wedding was wonderful. Sam looked so excited, Rose was glowing and beautiful, the mountain setting, the flowers, the live music, the small family atmosphere, all of it was just perfect. The dinner reception consisted of meatballs, cucumber sandwiches and freshly squeezed lemonade (for appetizers), salad, then the most delicious Fettuccine Alfredo, chicken kabobs, steamed vegetables and fresh fruit. Anyway, the food was all topped of by a very scrumptious chocolate cake!
As we were all enjoying our dinner Sam's friends (who will remain nameless) were enjoying some pancakes and shaving cream :) Caleb came running around the corner, "Mommy, you have to see this!! You have to see what they did to the green car!!"
Then the party was over. Time for the bride and groom to exit through the bubbles. Oh and you know they loved their car. It was so wonderful to experience all of this with them and all the family that was there. What a wonderful wedding weekend.

To view more pictures from the wedding please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisadickey/ . Remember to scroll through the pages because I took lots of pictures. I will try to remember to post more links to their photos from family and friends as they become available.

Backyard

We love our backyard even if the grass is lacking...

Busy Day

Saturday was busy busy!! I got up at 6:00 to get ready for our YARD SALE. Melydia came down with some of their stuff and we had a pretty good sale. We both made some money... but I was really hoping to just get rid of the junk. I may attempt another sale in a few weeks and I will price stuff a lot cheaper. At this point I just want to clear out everything and if I make some money... great.

Well after the yard sale I had to go into hyper-drive... we had company coming at 4:30! Put away all the yard sale stuff, go pick up our yard sale signs, clean the living room, run downstairs to find some clean clothes... look out the window and yell "Jake they are here!!!". Then I remember I told this family 4:00 and everyone else 4:30! So much for getting myself cleaned up before they got there. But they are our friends so they don't care if I stink, right? Well, we had several families over and we had so much fun. Conversation (with adults), pizza, cookies, watching all the kids play in the back yard, Cranium Pop 5, more conversation... it was a great end to a busy day!

Happy Mothers Day

Today was a good day. We went to church as usual. After church I played with the kids on the playground. To see their happy faces as they swing just made my day. My family took me to Zaxby's for lunch... I know most of you get to eat there anytime you want but Zaxby's is fine dining for a stay at home mom of 3 :) Then when we got home I got to relax. Taryn took a nap and the boys played with Jake while I enjoyed some time to myself. I laid on the back deck for 2 hours just enjoying the sun and the sound of the wind... and the wind was (is) blowing today! I may have dosed off now and then but just to be outside alone with God's trees swaying in the wind was amazing. For the first time in weeks I was able to completely clear my mind... the only thoughts I had were of the wind blowing the leaves and how much it looked and sounded like waves.

Then it was back to reality... I came in from my time of meditation to go to a meeting at the church with other young families and half of the elders. I won't go into any detail here. We get home and there is a knock at the door. It was our neighbor... his dog had been... let's just say murdered. How awful!!! Our poor neighbor... let's just say it is rough working in the prison... you make some enemies :(

Well, as I write all this sad stuff I look back and this is what I see.... I LOVE MY KIDS!!!

All things considered... I had a great mothers day!

I will try the whole "blog" thing.

Well, I said I would not do the whole blog thing... but so many of my friends are doing it so I guess I will give it a shot :) Plus I know we have some family out there who would like to know what's going on with words sometimes instead of just pictures.

So is there anything new in our lives? Not really. Jake is still teaching and coaching... and loving it. I am still at home with the kids and having a great time. Take a look at this picture from the other day. We love to sing along to our favorite radio station J103... T-Man is our singer, Taryn loves the drums, and Caleb likes to rock out on the guitar. I love staying at home with my babies :)

I just had to share this video I shot at our friends house last month. I titled it: LOOK OUT!!!