Memorial Day, 09 cont.

You know there had to be a couple of pictures of us! I love this one of Ben. I took it at the Puffin exhibit and then the volunteer there offered to take one of both of us. Even though this one has a bit of a glare, I thought we got very lucky to get a usable picture. (The volunteer had to have been 75-80 years old, a very nice man but he talked nonstop-the whole time he was taking the picture!)

We were almost to the end and decided to get a bite to eat. I think Ben really wasn't as hungry as much as he was looking forward to asking the cafeteria workers if they served fish! But they got the last laugh when we ordered a shrimp po'boy and this is what we got! Darling, you're not in Louisiana anymore! It's time to head on to our next destination and I had to have Ben slow down for this sign as we were leaving the Aquarium. People, you better get prepared. Oregon is overdue for the big one. Have you put together your catastrophic event plans? Do you have your emergency kits? What are you waiting for?

In the meantime, we are going back to Lincoln City to look for some Salt Water Taffy and a place to walk on the beach. We found some really fun little shops to wander through including the Christmas Cottage. (Have any of you thought about the fact that we only have 211 sleeps left until Christmas. That's less than 5041 hours to get your presents bought and wrapped! I've already ordered and received my first Christmas 09 present!)

We got the taffy, donned our jackets (with hoods) and headed down to the beach access. We got to walk for a little ways before the wind got the best of us and we headed back to the car.

Even on a cold day, it's a beautiful day at the beach!

Memorial Day, 09

My sweet husband decided that I need to relax and forget the world for a few days so we packed a bag, filled the car with gas and headed out. No reservations, no plans, we just knew we wanted to go to the ocean. So, we drove over the mountain, down Hwy 18, crawling through the tiny town of Dundee, population 3010 (salute!) and came to a complete halt at one of Oregon's busiest tourist attractions- Spirit Mountain Casino. I chose this picture of those we took because it advertises the best day of the year...my birthday! We didn't stay very long as the beach was calling. We went through Depoe Bay, home of the world's smallest harbor and the best whale watching spots on the Oregon Coast. We drove through Lincoln City (yeah, it has a Walmart!) and found a little motel in Newport. The next morning, we discovered the secret Tayler has been longing to discover. When we went to Newport in January, (niece) Tayler and her friend wondered where the bridge led but they were afraid to go over it.Guess what girl, we know where your bridge goes! If you follow the yellow brick road, it leads you to the other side of Newport and right into the parking lot of the Oregon Coast Aquarium. That was our destination for the day. Like every other time, Ben chooses a "safe spot" to park the car. Often, I tease him that he purposefully picks the one furthest from the entrance. This time, I got proof! He chose the last of three parking lots and... well, you can see for yourself. I had to make this picture larger so it was plenty big (but you still might have to double click on it to be able to see the car!)

That's okay though. Those parking spots get me closer to the 10,000 steps we're supposed to take each day. (Ben always far exceeds that daily number.)

While I got in the admission line, Ben found a beautiful stream to photograph. It was the first of many cool pictures we took that day. We won't be able to show you all of them but here are some of our favorites.

Once the clouds burned off, the weather was beautiful and this otter was taking full advantage of the sun. Watching it was fun and it was oh so cute just floating around the pool.

There were some great exhibits- Oddities, Sharks and really cool "rays" that you could touch. My favorites though are always the "jellies". They are so fascinating to me. Ben graciously took this video for me to watch over and over.

April Road Trip!

We settled into blissful married life and soon enough it was time for a road trip. Every 2 or 3 months, we head out to Walmart 35.08 miles away. (There is a chance one will be built closer next year. We'll just have to hope for no organized opposition to it.) We have our list, our snacks for the car and our camera. This trip will be documented for you but we have to be very careful. Walmart, like most retail establishments, doesn't allow pictures to be taken in the store.

Have you ever had Orville Redenbacher's Lime and Salt Popcorn? It is so good. I love popcorn and this one is my new favorite! But it's exclusively at Walmart so go get some and try it. If you don't like it, just send it my way! Another thing on our list is Special K bars. We love the strawberry and blueberry ones the best. At only 90 calories per bar, they make a nice mid-morning snack!

And somehow as Ben maneuvered the cart by the Whoppers display one box just jumped off the shelf and landed in the cart. (Or "buggy" as Ben likes to call that thing you push around the store to put your groceries in!)

In the dairy section, we found an opportunity too appealing to pass up. We managed to convince not one but two people to help us defy the "no photos" policy. And one of them was... well you can see for yourself!

Pretty good, huh?! We thought so too! But there is one more picture Ben wants to take. Can he get away with taking a picture at the checkstand? So far we had taken pictures with employees all around us. But... of course he did! Just as the shutter clicked, we heard "excuse me, Walmart doesn't allow you to take pictures in the store" said the cashier in the aisle next to us. "We'll put it away" said Ben as he chuckled to himself. He knew the pictures that we had already taken!

Happy shoppers stimulating the economy! Full trunks and hungry bellies, this time ended like all the others- finding a place to nourish our bodies after hours of shopping has zapped our energy. We headed back down I-5 towards Portland and settled on the wonderful burgers at an old favorite-

Honeymoon, cont.

Here are a few fun shots that we couldn't resist taking. The right one really needs no explanation except island life- good food, never ending drinks, glorious sunshine and naps!


One morning we were having breakfast on one of the terraces and we watched this bird as it slowly made it's way to the table. Then, all of a sudden, it flew to the table, grabbed a packet of sugar and flew away dragging the sugar behind. The bird got a few more steals in before the waitress noticed and shooed it away. The funny thing was it took the sugar only (and left the sweet 'n low) every time!







I had to add at least one more picture of the two of us. Mr. & Mrs to be continued...

Alone at Last!

We adore family and friends but it's honeymoon time! We board a plane in New Orleans, land in Atlanta and head to the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Lucia. We get to spend the next 5 nights and 6 days in paradise. Now, remember... this is our honeymoon... not going to tell you a whole lot... but there are some highlights that I can share with you...

After breakfast each morning, we grabbed our float, swam up to the pool bar, ordered Pink Ladies and Piña coladas and relaxed! The weather was incredible, the skies were blue, the ocean even more blue. The ocean was "angry" the first few days so we spent most of our time poolside (between naps, of course).

Each night, we got all dressed up and visited a new restaurant. Dressing for dinner is one of my favorite things. We got to enjoy great food and beautiful scenery. The resort was surrounded by the ocean and the sunsets on the water were spectacular. Wow- God is an amazing creator. The water hitting the cliffs, the trees and flowers and sharing all this with the man I love.

One morning, we headed to the Swim shop for Scuba Diving. We signed all the prerequisite paperwork "if you don't make it back from the trip, blah, blah, blah", viewed the required video explaining equipment, safety, check lists, blah, blah, blah and head to the dive pool with our instructor and two classmates. We donned all the equipment, added the necessary weight belts and jumped into the pool. We breathed, we practiced, we purposefully knocked the regulators out of our mouths- ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? and practiced finding them under water. Then we prepared ourselves and headed underwater. We swam and swam and swam in circles and the more I swam, the more I panicked. I'm supposed to do this and do that and oh, by the way, never hold your breath. Excuse me, this instructor has no idea that when I get nervous, I hold my breath. And he's telling me not to? So I calmed myself, surfaced (out of a 4 foot deep pool) and very calmly (I thought) asked how long we would be below the surface on the dive. "30 to 45 minutes" he said. I donned my regulator and headed back down. Two minutes later I surfaced again and squeaked out "I'm not sure I can do this." His words to me were "if you can't be honest with your instructor, I can't help you." I said "I don't want to disappoint him" and I donned my mask and headed back down. One minute later, I resurfaced. I couldn't see because the tears were flowing and fogging up my mask. "It's no use" I said. "I just can't do it." That time, Ben followed me to the surface, took one look at my face and said "it's OK." I tried so hard. I wanted so badly to share the love of diving that he has and I just couldn't do it. I tried to get him to go on the dive without me but my handsome, gallant, wonderful man wouldn't go without me. Again I say, I am a lucky woman!

March 6th, cont.

Since we were flying out of New Orleans, we travelled from Lake Charles via Baton Rouge. We stopped at the cemetery to pay respects to Ben's parents. We added one of the wedding favors, Ben's boutonniere and my bouquet to the flowers that was already there. It is amazing to me how the things we brought added into the arrangement as if it were planned that way all along. During the wedding, I felt they were a part of our celebration and this just solidified that feeling.

Now it's time for our next stop. This was an exciting one. We were going to have dinner with Ben's children and grandchildren! It was a very touching time to meet Tiffany, her husband Adam and Bennie and his girlfriend Ashley. And to hear the grandchildren (Marin & Marshall) call "Grandfather!" as they hugged Ben. We had a great time talking, getting to know each other and catching up.

Ben kept the M & M's entertained as he pulled quarter after quarter out of their ears! Once again, the time flew by and we had to say goodbye.

Bedtime for the little ones and we still had to drive to New Orleans and return the rental car. We had an early morning flight to paradise!

Anniversary Party

Anniversary party a day after the wedding? Did you already forget what I said about my parents 50th wedding anniversary being the day after our wedding? Oh, yeah! So the daughters took the parents to one of their favorite restaurants in Lake Charles for lunch. It's called Steamboat Bill's and the food was... you guessed it... WONDERFUL!



Even though Lynnettee grew up in Memphis, crawfish is not one of her favorite foods. But she was a good sport! If you look closely at the background of these pictures, you will see that much of the restaurant walls are unfinished. They had just closed in the back room the day before but this is Louisiana- there's no need to finish the addition- just put in some tables and you're good to go! And poor Steve, there wasn't a microbrew to be found anywhere. He's probably glad he would be headed back to the beautiful Pacific Northwest shortly.





But not me! All too soon the time with my family was coming to an end. The time since Ben and I have been back together has been a double blessing for me. I have spent more time with my sisters and parents in the last year than I have in a very long time. It was hard leaving them that afternoon but we had two more stops that day and then it was off we go into the wild blue yonder. It's almost honeymoon time!

Let them eat cake!

Ben and I had this agreement- we would "place nice" with the wedding cake or we wouldn't stay married more than a few hours! That whole cake in the face thing drives me crazy. You are supposed to have pledged yourself to this person, to love, honor and respect but only after smashing cake all over them??? I've never understood that concept. Fortunately, he shared the same understanding. "Besides", he says, "you can't waste cake like that!" But that didn't stop us from having a little fun. Ben made a comment about one of my favorite TV shows "Snapped" and I couldn't pass up the opportunity, could I?

But things turned serious again as we shared those first few bites of yummy cake (white cake- my favorite with pineapple filling- Ben's favorite). It was at the moment that we cut the cake that I realized that what I had dreamed of as a teenager really happened. I really got to marry Ben!

First Dance

Forever my darling my love will be true

Always and forever I'll love just you

Just promise me darling your love in return

May this fire in my soul dear forever burn

My heart's at your command dear, To keep love and to hold

Making you happy is my desire dear, Keeping you is my goal

I'll forever love you

For the rest of my days

I'll never part from you Or your loving ways

Just promise me darling your love in return

May this fire in my soul dear forever burn

At Last!

One of my favorite parts of any wedding is the look on the groom's face that moment that he sees his bride. I was very fortunate that I not only saw that moment, but Joscelyn captured it so I can look at it anytime I want. Joscelyn Langley is a Lake Charles photography artist. I found her on MySpace (can you believe it?) and she was amazing. If you need a photographer for anything, contact her! Not only did she take great pictures, she took pictures I never would have thought to take.

Almost Time, cont.

We used our Prom picture for party favors and filled them with M & M's (Ben's favorite).
Right before the wedding began, Dad spent time with both of us calming our nerves. Thanks, Dad!

Almost Time!

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream.

I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam.

Yes, I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem.

But if I know you, I know what you'll do.

You'll love me at once the way you did

Once Upon a Dream.

As our friends and families were gathering, I had some finishing touches to add and Ben was relaxing, just waitin' on a woman! It took a bit of juggling to assure that Ben and I didn't see each other before the ceremony.

When we talked about a wedding date, we knew we wanted to get married in Louisiana since most of our families live there. We decided on 3/6/09 because it's a cool date and because the following day was my parents' 50th anniversary. As we begun planning decorations, I realized that this year would also have been Ben's parents' 50th anniversary. So we paid tribute to both of those events as we celebrated the beginning of our "happily ever after".

Wedding Day, cont.

Time to head back to Mom and Dad's to get dressed. That was an adventure! Lynnettee finishing the flowers, Della doing our hair and Dad laughing at us while having to brushing his teeth at the kitchen sink! (We were using all the bathrooms, duh!) But we managed to get everyone ready for the wedding, my suitcases repacked and in the car, and then it was time to go!