Flashback - Spring Break

This post is only 9 weeks late. Better late than never, eh? We were very lucky to spend Spring Break in Florida this year. It was AMAZING! We stayed a week on Treasure Island with Roger and Mona. They had rented a condo right on the Gulf of Mexico. I've included a few of my favorite pictures from our vacation. It was hard to narrow it down to these. When all was said and done, we had taken over 300 pictures.

This was the view from our balcony. It was so relaxing to sit on the balcony, mojito in hand, and watch the ocean.

Getting ready to head to dinner on one of our first nights there. Fortunately for us, Roger and Mona had already scoped out all the good restaurants. We ate out for dinner most nights. So yummy.

The pool was right below our balcony. Thomas and I loved the pool. We swam for about 3 1/2 hours everyday. The bonuses of that were twofold. First, Thomas is now a great swimmer. He likes to dive down and retrieve things from the bottom, can swim longer distances, and can swim underwater. Second, it tired him right out. All that swimming meant no wiggly boy in restaurants, no tantrums or exclamations of boredom, and (most importantly) a boy that asked to go to bed AND slept in. :)



We spent 2 days in Orlando. While there, we visited Disney's Hollywood Studios and The Animal Kingdom. We stayed at Disney's All Star Movies Resort.



Grandma and Grandpa with Thomas and Eeyore.



Us with 2 of T's favorites - McQueen and Mater.

Alan and Roger after riding the Kali River Rapids (twice). Thomas, Mona, and I went with them once. The lines were super short and they just stayed on for another go around.

My absolute FAVORITE picture from our vacation. This HUGE Buzz Lightyear (along with the other guys from Toy Story) was at our hotel. Thomas loved seeing all these guys up close.

Yep, it rained. It rained hard while we were at the Animal Kingdom. Alan planned ahead and bought the ponchos at the hotel before it started raining. Unfortunately, we still got hosed and had to pay Disney prices ($10 each). The rain was actually a blessing. It was short lived and brought the temp way down. Also, because of the rain, the lines were really short.

We had so much fun making memories on our vacation!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

So, the Asiala family has encountered one of the BIGGEST changes possible. What could it be? A new baby? Nope. Moving? Nope. Alan quit his job? Yep. Sure did. I'm sure this will be one of the best moves he's ever made. Hard to believe, eh?

He started his new job yesterday. He's working at Hawkshead Links here in sunny South Haven. He has worked summers there in the past. He maintains, troubleshoots, and operates their irrigation systems along with other odd jobs (like endless mowing). Bonus - free golf :) We'll have some scheduling changes to work out. I'm off in the summer and he's now off in the winter. Being off in the winter will allow him to partake more often in one of his favorite activities - ice fishing.

I am so proud of him for listening to his heart and taking this leap of faith. This change is a GREAT change. I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Life Lessons

Thomas continues to learn lessons on his own terms.

Today's lesson: Don't eat a crunchy Nature Valley granola bar while lying shirtless on the couch.

He approached me very distressed because of the crumbs in his belly button. They were itchy and he scratched so much that he gave himself a little road rash. Ahhh, boys.

Playtime

I've been shot in the head.

I've been shot in the bed.

I've been shot in the back.

How did I react?

I got my own gun and had some fun.

I let the boys have it you see.

For they won't get the best of me.

Ambition

Springtime makes me ambitious. I clean, workout, and do laundry like crazy. Yep, even crazier than normal. This weekend it seems as though I've had a double dose. First, The sunlight streaming through our windows has been uncovering all the winter dust I neglected. Second, we are leaving for vacation. I love leaving a clean house so that I can return to a clean house.

Our day started out with normal household chores and a workout. Suprisingly, I didn't get totally annoyed with Thomas for saying "how many more minutes" every minute that I was on the elliptical. Rather, everytime he asked, we counted up to that number. Good practice for his counting!

After the workout...more cleaning. I cleaned and organized the mud room. Which then led to cleaning out, organizing, and decluttering the hall closet. I stopped myself from doing the same to the kitchen - not sure how. I'm guessing it will get done tonight or tomorrow...

After the organizing session, I took Thomas for a bike ride. We ventured out to the Kal Haven Trail. He rode his bike almost 2 miles while I ran along side him! Pretty good for a 4 year old. We turned around at the covered wooden bridge over the Black River.

Thomas had a great time running and riding his bike across the bridge.

Riding a bike that far is hard for a little guy. We stopped frequently to sit on benches, check out bike tires, and move sticks off the trail. Currently, he's upstairs recovering by taking a nap. I hope my energy level can stay up. I've gotten a ton done around here!

WoRdLeSs WeDnEsDaY

Freebie

I love freebies. Really, who doesn't. Free stuff is exciting. All of the above arrived via Fed Ex on Monday. That's right, it was all free.

I entered a sweepstake and won! So, I'm sure you are wondering why there is so much of everything. (My father in law suggested I learn to play the spoons) As the glass-half-empty pessimist you are also wondering what the catch is. So, here it is.

Kraft sent me all of this stuff. They have a new product, Philadelphia Cooking Creme, and I'll be promoting their product. I'm having my girlfriends over in a couple of weeks and am cooking dinner for them. They'll get to try the product and take home some coupons and freebies. For hosting this party I received an oven mitt, coupons for FREE products, and a Green Pan.

So, I'll spend a little out of pocket to have my girlfriends over and cook them dinner. Sounds like a great deal to me. Food and friends are two of my favorite things!

I have already used my new Green Pan and am in love. It's awesome! My unsolicited testimonial follows- I used the pan this morning to fry some eggs for breakfast. I didn't use any butter, oil, or cooking spray and the eggs literally slid off the pan. They were cooked to perfection! It is coated with a substance that is like Teflon - only better. It's healthier for the body and better for the environment. I did a little research and found that these pans retail for $50-$100. Wowza! If they weren't so expensive I would have a whole fleet of them.