Orange Beach, Phoenix, & the Lazy River

On Thursday afternoon after I got home from work, my sister and I loaded up the boys and all our STUFF and headed to Orange Beach, AL. A friend from work had a condo there for the week and invited us to come visit. When we showed up, I assured her that although it LOOKED as if we were prepared to stay a week we would only be staying one night!

We spent a little time in the indoor pool Thursday night. It was nice, but immediately when you walked in the smell of chlorine hit you like a freight train... Evan gave us a little trouble about not wanting to sleep (well, actually a lot of trouble)... So much so that his Aunt GiGi declared that she did not like him that day! (She has since come back around....)

Friday morning, after a fabulous breakfast cooked by Joe, Pam's boyfriend, we went down to the pool area. Robbie and Evan were still too young for the slide. There was a "kiddie" pool with a little fountain, but we skipped that altogether. We spent our time in the big pool and the lazy river. Let me just say that my boys LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the water! (Thank Heavens!)

A little before noon, we decided to head upstairs and have lunch. We fed them a "healthy" lunch of PB&J sandwiches and cheese puffs! YUM-E! After lunch, we headed back down to the pool. We stayed out there till about 2:30 p.m. or so, then decided we had had enough fun for the day and it was time to pack up for the trip home. Both boys were out cold before we ever got out of Orange Beach! :) So, Ginny and I went thru the drive-thru at Bruster's Ice Cream and got a sweet treat... (Shhh... the boys still don't know we had ice cream without them!)

We pulled in the driveway at 3020 Bonita at around 5:30 p.m. I think. Unloaded the boys and the car, and had a relaxing evening at home....

Phoenix on the Bay in Orange Beach is where we stayed. We liked it so much that we hope to save some MOOLAH and try to go there for vacation next summer! If you ever get a chance to go, do it! It's located on the bay, but it's not too terribly far from the beach. And a reasonable drive from Foley and the outlet stores... We've already talked about taking time out to go shopping in Foley if we go down there for vacation... LOL!

We had a GREAT time! Just sorry that Robert had to work this time around... But next time, he will DEFINITELY be with us! :o)

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Sad Times :(

On Thursday, 7/23, it will be a year since my Aunt Shirley passed away... I still love and miss her. And I wish that my cousins and I talked more... Life gets hectic, crazy busy, and we just fall out of touch. But I think I need to make more of an effort to pick up the phone and maybe that would help us reconnect a bit...

On Wednesday, 7/29, it will be a year since Phillip, Shyla, and Haylie Van Alstine passed away. I think of them often. Shyla was an English teacher at VHS, but she was so much more to so many... She had a smile that could light up a room. I just wish I had gotten the chance to know her better....

The older I get, when someone I care about passes away, it seems they are taken way too early... Aunt Shirley was 62 when she died and I still think she was too young.... Phillip, Shyla, and Haylie were definitely too young.... While we are here on this earth, we will never understand why. All I know to do is to honor the memory of each of our loved ones as I go about living the rest of my days... however many or few in number those days may be.

To my Aunt Shirley, and to Phillip, Shyla, and Haylie:

As we mark the one-year "anniversary" (and I HATE calling it that) of your passing, please know that we honor the life that each of you lived. Each of you made an indelible mark on this world during your time here. We thank you for that. We love and miss you and will ALWAYS remember you!

indelible:
1. > that cannot be removed, washed away, or erased
> making marks that cannot be easily removed (an indelible pencil)
2. > LASTING (indelible memories)
> UNFORGETTABLE, MEMORABLE (an indelible performance)

This Boy...

was my best friend and my first love. Yes, even after 18 + years, I still love and miss him like crazy. We had some great times together, even after breaking up. :o) He became part of my FAMILY, so much so that my mom & my stepdad, along with my younger sister, grieved the loss of him just as much as I did.

Some may think that I should just "move on" with my life. Well, I am LIVING my life and I think HE would be proud of me for doing so. That does NOT mean that I have to FORGET about him. I love my husband and my boys with all my heart. I have told Robert many stories about this boy. We even talked at one point about naming one of our boys after him. Now I really wish we had. But my babies are Robert Kelly, Jr. and Evan Zachary. Their names suit them, and I'm sure Chris would be glad to know that! :o)

This Boy will always be a part of me. I will continue to remember the happy, the sad, the good, and the bad. It is ALL a part of me now. My deepest regret and source of the most profound sadness I may have ever known is the fact that This Boy NEVER got the chance to become a Man. I often wonder what life would be like if he were still here with us. Who would he have chosen as his wife? What would his children look like? What would he have chosen as his career? Would we still be close? Questions and ponderings that will never be answered or addressed... But I will always wonder.....

Christopher Joseph Hill, you left us far too early. You are loved. You are missed. You are remembered. Sometimes, when I'm having a bad day, I wish I could go outside, get on the riding lawn mower with you, and just ride and ride...... ;o) Maybe when my time comes and I get to Heaven, you'll take me for a spin???

All My Love Always,
Amy Beth

Busy Weekend....

Well, at about 11:00 p.m. Thursday night, I decided that I was taking a 3- day weekend... (Yay me!) So Friday afternoon, my sister and I took the boys to Gabe's birthday party at Martin's Lake... My boys love the water, thankfully! :) We had a really good time and they were tuckered out by the time we got home....

Saturday we pretty much stayed around the house. Robert had to work 4th of July night, so we had an early dinner then sent him on his way....

Sunday afternoon, I took the boys (by myself) to Andrew's birthday party. Another swimming party, so of course the boys enjoyed it. My friend Dana's grandparents live in Vancleave, and have a huge backyard with a really nice saltwater pool. It was great! Once we got out of the big pool, Robbie and Evan played in the "kiddie" pools for a little while... Then Robbie decided he wanted to run all over the yard, causing me to either chase after him or keep calling his name to come back... I was just worried that he would get too close to the big pool, so I wanted to keep my eyes on him at all times.

Dana's husband Patrick is over in Iraq for the next year, and I told her I thought she was doing a great job taking care of her two little ones. Her daughter Bailey is just 3 weeks older than Robbie, and her son Andrew is ~ 2 months younger than Evan. It was hard enough for me to keep up with my boys just for the afternoon, so I have no clue how she holds it all together while Patrick's away....

All in all, a busy weekend but the boys had a good time, so it was definitely worth it! :o) Of course, going back to work on Monday was a necessity seeing as how the bills need to get paid. But I am oh so looking forward to Friday afternoon. I don't know if we'll be getting out and about much, but it will be nice to be home with my babies!

Hoping everyone had a safe and Happy 4th of July and a good week so far.....

Until next time,
Amy