The Weekend Blessings: job, family, friends

I had such an amazing, productive weekend. Though working was part of it, it was fulfilling and I felt that I had accomplished something. Secondly a visit to my friend's lake cottage and also a visit to a great little zoo rounded out the weekend with lots of family fun and giggles. I was able to spend time with my great friends, Bob and Lori for breakfast which is always a fun way to start the day.

My dad made an emergency trip to the hospital and diagnosed with pneumonia and had a rough couple of days but is home now doing great which is a great blessing. I needed a little R & R after that. I won't bother you with the work details but lets just say new opportunities for my territory were found and contacted. Yippee.

Dawson is so cute no matter where we go. Monkeys and horses and kangaroos were the highlights of the zoo. We also spent time with my life long friends, Butch, Deb, and their awesome son, Aaron who was awesome teaching Dawson how to fish and egging Lindsay on to be competitive ......we tied with the number of fish we caught. Its a GOOD thing. We might have been out on the boat all night trying to outdo each other's caught fish. (I think I caught one twice lol). Aaron also saved Dawson after he fell off of the raft out in the water. I guess those swim lessons were successful as he was able to tread water until Aaron dove in and saved him in a matter of literally 2 seconds. I was impressed!!!

God showed his array of blessings this weekend.

I love sharing with my Grandson!

Lake Time! Dawson's first fish!

Linz, always up for a smile!

Awww...relaxation, sun, and fun!

Hmmmm.....another redhead....lol

Attitude is Everything!

Uncle Jon and Aunt Elena bought Dawson a "bicycle" (not just a bike but a super cool bike) and all the gear to keep him safe...but...when Dawson puts the helmet on...he transforms to that of "super dude" with an attitude.

I have never seen a child that can have so many visible "personalities" than this boy. His many smiles, faces, moods, and his no fear of just being himself amazes me.

People probably wonder why we take so many pictures but this is a good example of why we like to "capture the moment" as much as we can.

Adorable, funny, imaginative, silly, serious, thoughtful, mysterious, obnoxious, hilarious, goofy, sincere, empathetic, emotional, and strength. These words describe this little guy. I can't wait to see who he will be when he grows up. Until then....I will just enjoy who he is each and everyday.

What can I say....I love him, adore him, and feel so blessed to be a part of his life.



Thank you so much, God!

Oh those crazy Tiki Dudes

Well after nailing, pounding, gluing, and yes gluing and ungluing myself too, the Tiki Dudes were finished. I must say I was very pleased at how the Tiki men turned out. Here is a midpoint look at the headless bodies and then the finished product. Me likey the Tiki Dudes.....

Wooden forms nailed and glued together

And...drum roll....here is one of the Tiki Dudes hanging out at my house.

All six of them are unemployed now and are for hire for parties, backyard luaus, and other such events. Please give Dixie a call if you would like Tiki 1,2,3,4,5, or 6 to pay a visit!

Stuck on You...WHAT????

I have the distinct honor of creating some "tiki men" for our Indiana Luau for work this Sunday. Things always look sooooo easy in my brain but I should know that carpentry is not one of my strengths even though creativity is. Somehow I must learn to combine the two so I can create great structures....ok, maybe not great structures but possibly little projects.

I gathered the wood and screws and nails and glue. Super glue.
Side note: Dixie should never ever play with super glue.

I was pretty pumped up to build the "tiki men" so I layed it all out on the living room floor and started pounding. Once I got the nails through the wood, I noticed that it wasn't nailed very tight. "Tiki men" should have strong arms...not floppy ones. I called my good friend Butch for advice because he can do anything. I mentioned that I could use a drill and use wing nuts so that I could tighten and loosen to change the arm positions. I would have to have a special piece for my drill that is running out of battery and I haven't a clue where the battery charger might be. Typical. So once again, I have wood and nails. He suggested that I use super glue in the holes so that it grabs onto the nails. That sounded simple. I went to Wal-Mart to get super glue.

Got home and proceeded to pound nails and I opened the glue and then it happened. My skin got stuck onto the nail...and then I ripped it off my finger and then my hand got stuck to the wood. I pryed it off the wood and tried to put the lid on the glue and the glue bottle stuck to my finger. I pulled the glue bottle off and discovered that my skin was stuck to the lid. I finally broke loose and discovered that I had bits of glue all over my hands which I CAN'T STAND..so I tried to pick it off... Now my fingers hurt from tearing glue off of them. Needless to say, I got them all built and painted. All that is left is putting the decorative mask and finishing touches on the little guys. What an ordeal. I recall that there were two other times I can remember not being a very good carpenter:

• The kids were little and we had bunk beds for the boys. We didn't have bed rails for the top one so I thought, how hard could it be to pound some bars onto the bed. Of course I did this while the father was away because the answer would have been no. I proceeded. By the time I put 40 some nails into it...(and we are talking the Daddy of all nails) the bar stuck. WHAT A MESS. It looked awful not to mention being hazardous with all the nails going every which way.

• The second was Lindsay and I trying to build our sweet little cat a play gym. We had seen them at the store and thought, "no problem" , we can build one. So we took it all out on the deck and proceeded to pound the pieces together strategically according to our outline we drew. We got it all done complete with carpet pieces and went to turn it over and discovered we couldn't. We had nailed it to the deck. So unless our cat wanted to play out on the deck and upside down, we would have to dismantle it and start over.

Crazy times just trying to be creative and proactive with "getting the job done".

Happy Birthday Bubby.....

What an exciting Birthday Weekend. I have some great picture memories of Dawson's 6th birthday. It was non stop celebrating for this little guy but....he was a champ and handled it very well. His party started on Friday with a visit from Uncle Jon (Auntie Elena had to work) and Dawson's two wheeler bicycle complete with helmet and pads for safety. It was a great surprise for D. Some school friends, neighborhood friends, Grandpa, Lindsay's friends from GCC and their kids, and Dawson's Godmothers, Andrea and Taya, and his daddy and stepmom and little brother all came to celebrate with him on his special day. Saturday at lunch, we met our good friends Lori, Bob, and their son Josh at Hacienda where the celebration continued. We then left town for Muskegon where all of his cousins came to swim with him at the hotel. We had pizza, pop, and cake and lots of giggles over those crazy kids in the pool. The next day we went to my sister's campsite at Muskegon State Park which is a little bit of heaven. The camper area is wooded and like a "forest" and then you look and there is an opening that you can see Lake Michigan and the beach. It is truly the best of both worlds. We had a great lunch and then we packed up and all of us went to the beach. The waves were great and the kids had a ball while my nieces and nephew, Linz and I and my sis chilled in beach chairs, relaxing, laughing, and just enjoying the sunshine and water. I am truly blessed!

Linz worked so hard to make sure everything was just right for her little one!

All of the little ones lined up on their blowup toys waiting for the big wave....so cute!

I loved every bit of the planning for the festivities with Lindsay
I was such a happy "Ga Ga" this weekend

Dawson and his killer whale water toy
My sis and I had a blast!

All in a day's work!!!

What a beautiful Saturday.... Most people are either out grilling, chilling, swimming, but this redhead declared it a "work" day and went to North Webster to assist one of my locations with their Mermaid Festival PARADE float and store events. I went early so that I could help decorate the float, etc. Having so much to do, the float was not high on the priority list as both store owners were quite involved with the management of the parade and events surrounding it. With a great group, and I emphasize "great group" of high school students we were able to put together the float with a Scoobydoo theme. We had a Scoobydoo and a Shaggy...but....that wasn't enough for the theme...because the "mystery machine" was missing (a staple according to Scoobydoo lovers). I took one for the team and dressed up like a mystery machine for the float....yes...Dixie in a Box... hmmmmm Quite a picture you say? Well...see the proof below.....

Yes...Dixie in a Box....my creation!!!!!

SURPRISE....HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Happy Anniversary to Terri and John Hines.

(even the dogs smiled for pictures)

They celebrated their 12th anniversary with a surprise set up by John and friends, Alison and Matt Bontrager. Everyone had a great time chatting, kids playing, Matt cooking, all of us munching on some great food, and most of all fellowship and celebration of this very nice couple. Of course there are always perks to any party and Baby Bontrager, better known to the Agent team as "the princess", hammed it up for photographer Lindsay. Even the dogs hammed it up and smiled for the cameras! What a great afternoon.

The little "princess"

Surprise...Terri!!!!!

I managed to snag my camera for one of Lindsay and the "princess"

Of course, I had to "hog" the baby too!

But still had lots of time for my little guy!