Bahamas Cruisin' with Kristen

For graduation, Kristen and I went on a vacation for 4 days to the Bahamas. This is actually the third cruise that we've been on together, but the first cruise for Kristen without her parents (cue 18 year teenager jumping for joy).  This trip was just what the doctor ordered as far as relaxation and unwinding.  Not to mention that it was wonderful bonding time with Kristen before she heads off to college.

We flew out of Baltimore, arrived in Orlando, and hopped an hour long shuttle over to Port Canaveral.  We got the lay of the land on the ship and then promptly found 2 lounge chairs, sat down....and fell asleep until the bull horn went off that we were pulling out of port. 

 At the Theater Show before Dinner night one.

 Our teeny tiny room that actually was perfect.

 Arriving at Cococay, which is a private island of Royal Caribbean.  Much larger straw market than I was expecting since I can't figure out where they lived to run the stores.

 The majority of the day on Cococay was spent lounging.  There was some pretty serious overcast, so it was perfect snoozing weather.  Kinda glad for the overcast because when the sun did come out, it was fierce!

 Our Ship, the Monarch of the Seas.

 

Formal Dinner Night

 On to Nassau! Arggg!

 Nassau Straw Market.  Definitely a change from when Allison and I were there in December!

 The waters were so crystal blue, this photo doesn't do it any justice.

 On our boat ride over to Paradise Island to roam around the Atlantis.

 Back on the ship, Kristen napped the rest of the day away, while I went rock-climbing.

 Our last night at dinner with our dinner mate.

We had such a fun trip together. I hope that there are many more to come for us!

Delaware, also known as "don't stop 'til you drop"

I was in Delaware from Thursday May 31st until Sunday June 3rd.  It was a whirlwind, even more than usual.  Just non-stop.  But it was great seeing everyone and feeling like I really got in quality time instead of the typical rat race and 1 hour stop-ins.

Thursday Lunch with my Grandmother.  We ordered a strawberry shortcake to split for the dessert; the strawberries for her and the shortcake for me :-)

I had a little time free Thursday afternoon so I stopped in to my sis-in-laws job to see her new swanky office.  Then we drove down to Maya's horse-riding lessons. Was a big surprise!  Also did the big surprise to Alexa and Jenna when I stopped in to their house on the way to the beach.  Alexa, your face was priceless!

I stayed the night at Megan and Jasons.  It's so nice having one of those longtime friends that you don't see for a while but it feels like you didn't miss a day. She's such an amazing friend. Of course we stayed up way to late and talked way too much and it was freaking glorious!

 

  

The next day was Aunt Lindsey and Chloe day.  It took a little time for her to get comfortable with me around, and who can blame her when she hasn't seen me in almost 6 months.  Once I mentioned going and playing at the park though, whoa she was ALL ABOUT Aunt Lindsey! We played forever, and I got elbow burns from using them as my brakes going down some of the slides to prove it (OUCH!).  Don't worry though, Chloe bandaged up my "Boo-Boo's" with Dora Bandaids.  We went shopping (at Wawa), we rented a movie (Barbie Mermaid), made lunch together (Grilled Cheese...YUM), we made art (she colored bookmarkers for me), and had such a blast together! Was such a fun day! I miss all my girls!!

 I headed out from Chloe day to go cheer on Kristen in her State Championship Soccer Game.  This picture is not fuzzy below....it was just pouring down rain.  We were scared the majority of the game that it was going to get postponed, which would have been horrible considering her graduation was the next day and we were leaving for the Bahamas on Monday.  The weather cooperated, but unfortunately they didn't win the championship.  It was 2-1 in double overtime.  Kristen had a great game!  (Number 22 below)

The next morning we woke up bright and early for Kristens High School Graduation!!!
The proud parents.  Notice Tims tie is a picture of Kristen in her soccer gear from many years back.  Loved it!

She's officially a graduate!!

Yay!!

After graduation, I hung out with my nieces for a while carting them around to their different birthday and going away parties for their friends, then Jenna and I got Rita's Water Ice and came back to jam out to some Wii party games for a while. 
I went and met up with my Mom for her Birthday that evening.  We went to a really nice restaurant called Abbotts Grill and had a really nice dinner together.  My mom makes 64 looks good!

The rest of the time in Delaware was with the crew in Lincoln.  Lots of time with Alexa, Jenna, and Maya with the Wii and board games and swimming in the pool and just being crazy together.  The time is never long enough it seems!

 

Maya had my phone for an hour or so in the afternoon an was up in her room taking videos of herself dancing.  They were absolutely hilarious.  If I could figure out how to upload them on here I would.  There were a few dance moves that need to be on So You Think You Can Dance!! :-)

 

I'll probably not be back in Delaware until new baby niece is here! Oh, maybe I haven't mentioned that on here yet; Jeff and Kim are pregnant with baby girl #2 due mid October!  Niece Count: 5 Nephew Count: 0  How about those odds!!! So excited!

A much needed vacation and celebration

I haven't been on a vacation since December with Allison. And chaos is very quickly about to ensue in the Gibbons/Stamps household.  What better time to get away!

Actually, I've had this trip back to Delaware planned for a while now, because Kristen is going to be graduating high school!  So excited for her, and wouldn't miss being there to support her! And of course while I'm in Delaware, there's 10 other visits I have to make with family and friends.  Not gonna lie, Delaware is going to be chaotic.  That pretty much seems to be the trend though these days.

Kristen at her Senior Prom.  Wish I could have been there.  She looked stunning!

The relaxing, calmer part of the trip that I only planned, oh, 2 weeks ago or so, is that Kristen and I are going to go to the Bahamas on a cruise for 4 days!!  We leave out on Monday from Port Canaveral and will be visiting Cococay and Nassau on the trip. Before she heads off for college (!!!), it will be a really fun way for us to spend time together.  And she's always wanted to go to the Bahamas, so it's a win-win.

Much much needed calm before the storm!

Dinner at Harvest

Mom wanted to celebrate our engagement with a nice dinner in St Louis.  She has quickly recognized that the main path to our heart is through our bellies ;-)

We at a restaurant that is new to us; Harvest. All of their food is from local farmers in the St Louis Region.

Mom and I both wore outfits that we bought during our shopping adventure for the photo shoot.

 Boyfriend (yah yah, fiance, same thing) looked so handsome.

We took a bottle of wine with us that Mom got us for a Christmas present 3 years ago.  She's been hounding us to open it, but we've always told her that it needs to lay down for longer and that we wanted to open it on a special occasion.  We thought this was a good a time as ever to open it.  Then we read the tasting note for the vintage....and it is stated to be in its best years through 2024.  Opened 12 years too soon.  Needless to say though, it was delicious. (It was a 2004 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cab Sauv for those curious)

Terry and Mom bonded over Oysters.  Who would have thought.  They ordered 2 of each different type of Oyster they had on the menu and they both said they could have sat and ate those all night for their entire dinner.  Silly!

I didn't take any other photos during the evening, but we all enjoyed our main dishes.  Mom and I each had Angus Hanger Steak, and Terry ordered the Fish of the Day. No one had any room for dessert.
It was a wonderful and thoughtful gift from Mom.  Much more than either of us every would have anticipated, and certainly nothing we expected.  Good memories. 

Springfield, IL: Frank and Abraham

Mom and I spent the day in Springfield during one of her days on her visit.  She found out that there was a Frank Lloyd Wright House in downtown Springfield (you may also remember from this post when we went to a FLW house here in St Louis) so she immediately wanted to go.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but when we got there, I was amazed.

 

The home, the 72nd building designed by Wright, contains the largest collection of site-specific, original Wright art glass and furniture. Wright’s first “blank check” commission, the home has 35 rooms in the 12,000 square feet of living space which includes 3 main levels and 16 varying levels in all. Can you imagine living in 1900 and saying you had a home that had 16 levels.  Also, another interesting fact; when she commissioned FLW, he was given a limitless fund for his design, and the owner was bequeathed her fathers estate and estimated $6 million dollars. FLW's total bill invoiced: $60,000.  You couldn't hardly get an addition built on to your house in todays world for that money. 

 

 We weren't allowed to take any photos inside the home, but let me just say that the glass on the outside pales in comparison to the views of the glass on the inside.  Sheer works of art. 

Frank was in love with Japanese design and modernism in his time, so he added nuances to his home to reflect his respect and admiration of their architectural design. If you are ever randomly in Springfield, you NEED to go to see this home.  It was amazing. 

After leaving the Dana-Thomas house, we drove past the State Capitol Building (shame on me that I've lived in Illinois for almost 3 years and this was my first time there).  Your random Capitol fact of the day (brought to you by my Mother): The Illinois capitol is the tallest non-skyscraper capitol, even exceeding the height of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC.

We ended the afternoon excursion with a visit to Abraham Lincolns Tomb.  Again, I had no idea what to expect, but it impressed me.  

There's a bronze statue in from of the monument that you're supposed to rub Abe's nose for good luck.  Mom followed suit; I couldn't stop thinking of the germs and bacteria from all those hands.  Blegh.  

Inside, there was a roundabout walkway with several statues and busts of Abe over the years, and then you were able to approach his headstone.  They told us that he's not actually buried directly below the monument, but 30 feet behind it and 10 feet into the ground.  Apparently there were several successful attempts at grave robbing the President that they had to bury him that deep. Poor guy. There were a few interesting facts: there are no blood ancestors left of Abraham Lincoln.  I find that fascinating.  Also, all of his family (wife, daughter and younger son) are all buried with him except his oldest son.  He was adamant to be buried with his family when he died, but his wife ignored his wishes and had him buried in Arlington Cemetery. 

Very fun day together.  Lots of history, but so many interesting things so close to home.  Who knew?!