Paradise

After a 45 minute embarrassing mix up at Walmart in which my credit card company denied my credit card because they thought it was stolen (apparently you shouldn't travel 1500 miles from home without contacting them) we have finally arrived in paradise. And thankfully the oil has not. We quickly unloaded our stuff and headed out the back door to the white sandy beach just in time for our first sunset. There really is no better place on earth!

To Mexico Beach We Go!

Jerry and I decided that since we had the room in our condo and in the van we would take my sisters girls with us to the beach even though she couldn't go. With the van fully equipped for road trips we packed up and headed out. Within the first minute I knew that the TV installation was worth it's weight in gold. I didn't hear "mommy" until the first movie went off. I almost didn't know what to do with myself. The entire ride was a dream.

To Atlanta We Go!

After skills day at Rockville Thursday evening we headed out for Atlanta. We left the house around 6 pm and got to our destination at about 11 am on Friday. Overall the trip was much more comfortable in the van. We were able to take everything we needed and had more than enough room. Without the entertainment package the kids still whined quite a bit. Ally was asking if we were still in Ct mere minutes after we left the condo. Ansley slept a total of 4 hours the entire 17 hour trip but seems completely unaffected. Jerry took the van over to Traffic Jams to get the TV and mp3 hookup installed while the girls and I headed out to the pool. It only took a few minutes for me to remember why I love the south so much. As the girls and I were walking to the pool one of Jerry's aunts neighbors stopped us and made us take her up on a ride to the pool. She even wanted me to call her when we were ready to leave so she could bring us back to the house. She felt it was just too far to walk in the heat. It was really appreciated especially with whiny kids. Man I love the south!!

Happy Anniversary Jerry!

I can't believe we have been married seven years already. Time is flying! Thank you for 7 great years of marriage and 12 wonderful years together! Here's to ETERNITY! I love you!

We have a MINIVAN!

So after yesterday's waste of a day in NY Jerry comes straight home and starts looking for vans at Car max. I am comatose on the couch and intermittently he would say look at this one and try to show me all 38 photos. Finally I told him I was going to bed and we would look tomorrow. Bringing us to today. He found one he thought he had to have. So he calls first thing this morning to see about having it shipped up from North Carolina. Well it was already gone. Again devastation for Jerry. So all day he was on the web looking. Well around 4 pm a new black Honda Odyssey pops up on the Car max website and it's in Hartford. He immediately calls and they tell him it's on the way to the East Haven lot, as a matter of fact it's sitting on the truck. Somehow Jerry gets them to agree to take it off the truck and we set up an appointment for 6 pm. When we get there and ask for Mike, the response is Black Honda Odyssey and a laugh. Apparently it took over an hour to get it off the truck and even more time to fix all the paperwork. The van belonged to the East Haven lot so there were issues in every department once we decided we wanted it, which wasn't long. Jerry took it for a drive and loved it! I even drove it, only in the parking lot though. And no, not the one with all the cars in it! So we finally did it!!!
We bought a minivan. Traveling back and forth to Atlanta in small cars was becoming unbearable. The bigger the girls get the bigger their stuff gets and there was just not enough room. After enduring 16 hours this past Christmas with no room for my feet I vowed we would never make the trip again without a van. With our summer trip fast approaching we were running out of time. Car max was great to us. They sold us a great van in pristine condition and gave us 8500.00 for Jerry's red KIA. The only annoying thing to happen was the salesman ripping one while getting out of the car. And Jerry thought it was hilarious!! It must be a guy thing. It was by far the easiest car purchase I have ever been a part of. And heaven knows I have a lot of experience buying cars :) Thank you Brenna for staying with the girls. It made the experience even easier!!

Home Sweet Home

After a long 8 days away I have made it back from Atlanta. Mom picked me up from work with subway around 7pm and rushed me over to the airport. I made my flight with not much time to spare and landed around 11:40 pm in Boston. Brenna was nice enough to spend the night at our house so Jerry could come to pick me up without the girls. So he did and before we were even 10 miles from the airport we get stopped by cop. Jerry the old man driver got a speeding ticket for driving 60 miles an hour on the highway. Apparently parts of the highway in Boston are 45mph zones. It sounded pretty shady to me but it's not even worth fighting. Jerry is devastated. He has never in his life been given a moving violation and now his perfect driving record is RUINED! He'll get over it, sooner than later I hope. As for now I am sure it's the only thing he will be talking about. When we got home I had to peek in at the girls. I love to see them all snuggled up in their beds asleep. As soon as I tiptoed in Ansley's little head shot up and yelled Brenna. When she opened her eyes and realized it was me she squealed mommy and grabbed my neck. It was super cute and a great welcome home. I tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. Time for a shower and BED!!

This morning with some moaning and groaning Jerry got up with the girls so I could sleep in. Working 6/7 12 hour shifts was killer and I was exhausted. I actually slept until 10 am and probably could have slept most of the day but I wanted to see Ally before she left for school and catch up on the weeks happenings. Before I could even fully wake up Jerry was talking about going to look at vans (when he gets something in his head it consumes him until it's done). So after school we picked up Ally and drove New York city to Paragon Honda. Its a huge certified used Honda dealership and they had 10 used Honda vans to choose from. We were sure we'd like at least one, after all they looked great on the website. It was a horrendously long drive after a long week but we made it. It only took us about 20 minutes to come to the realization that none of the minivans on their lot were even close to anything we'd spend our money on and left. We headed back to CT and hit up the Car max in East Haven who had far fewer vans but all were in pristine condition. It was a much better experience and all the pictures on the website are of the actually cars you are buying. I am not so sure that is the case with Paragon. Also they will ship from any other Car max so let the search for the new Honda minivan begin!!

One funny thing about NY. Ansley and Ally love the Home Alone movies. In Home Alone 2the movie takes place in NYC. So we are driving, and driving and driving and the girls keep asking, "Are we still in CT?" So as soon as we crossed into NY I said we're in NY now. To which Ansley yells, "Where are the bad guys mommy?" Hilarious!

A nice Sunday

Last night Chrissy picked me up from Piedmont so I could spend the day with the family today. It was nice to see everyone and just relax. Mom made macaroni and chicken wings and dad made his famous meatballs. We spent the day hanging out at moms house talking and just enjoying each others company. After dinner we celebrated moms birthday and Father's day since I won't be here for either celebration. Mom and I ended the day with a dip in the hot tub. Unfortunately it poured minutes after we got in but it made for a good laugh. Love you guys! Thanks for a great Sunday afternoon at home.

A week away

This afternoon Jerry dropped me off at the Boston airport for my quarterly week away from the family. Normally we would be in Atlanta for the summer by now but with Allyson's crazy school schedule the summer break is all messed up. So I am flying back to work for two weeks. To kept the trip a short as possible I am working the end of one week and the beginning of the next. It's going to be a killer to do that many 12 hour shifts but I wanted to be away for as little as possible. Leaving at all makes me nervous. Not the Jerry can't handle it, because he does a great job when I am away but I just miss them and worry too much. It's a mothers job to worry and I am great at it. Mom and dad picked me up from the airport and we stopped for dinner. It was great to see them. Now its bed and a long week ahead.