How-How!

Scott and Eliza Grace are about to join the wonderful world of Y Princesses.

I remember Scott looking up this program on the local YMCA website when Eliza Grace was a couple of weeks old...and now she is finally old enough to participate!

The first 2 meetings were for Dad's only. Yeah, a real hardship to meet at the local "tap" room to discuss tribe names :)

The first official activity was for Scott and Eliza Grace to sew together their own leather vests. In this case, Eliza Grace played the role of management and Scott was the skilled labor. He did a darn good job!


The next step is to glue on the first couple of patches and decide upon their tribal names.  At the top of list?

Big Snoring Eagle and Little Soaring Eagle :)

Afternoon in the park

What a beautiful day! I love Autumn. It is my very favorite season. I love nearly everything about it...except the part about dressing for cool temps in the morning and hot temps in the afternoon - I never know how to dress the kids!

This bright blue sky'd morning we hit Home Depot for the monthly kids workshop and then we spent some time at the park. Here are some pics of the kiddies at the park...and even one with Grandmommy and Will on the swings!

What we need...

...is more cow bell!

More fun with my camera

I have been enjoying my new camera. I do wish I could spend more time to really learn about the different features, but all in due time, I suppose.

Today Eliza Grace, Will and I went to "Henry Paloozza," an event to help raise money for a couple who is adopting their second child from China. It was fun, full of bounce houses, face & hair painting and the kids got to see their first hot air balloon up close and personal.

It took hearing the blast from the flame machine (or whatever you call it) at least 10 times before Will would stop running to hide behind my legs.

And where was Scott while we were having fun eating free cotton candy and listening to great live music? Well, he was working on his latest cooking contraption: a home made smoker.

What you see here is a ceramic flower pot sitting on a single electric burner. Inside is a cast iron skillet on the bottom with hard wood chunks in it and then a grill grate, upon which the food sits. It is all topped with a ceramic flower pot base. Scott drilled a hole in his "lid" in which he inserted the thermometer.

Alton Brown of the Food Network has had quite the effect on Scottie and I for one am THRILLED! Tonight, if all goes well, we will have some very yummy chicken created in his flower pot device. Things look quite promising at the half way point!

15 years and we are still saying "I Will"

15 years ago today, Scott and I said I will in front of God, family and friends.

So what does that mean?

It means I will be there to help you go to the bathroom when the stomach flu has kept you in bed for 3 days and you can hardly walk

It means I will not say one negative word when you gain another 30 pounds on top of the pregnancy weight

It means I will let the grumpy mood slide by without striking back (well, most of the time!)

It means we will sit up all night and stare in wonder at the newborn babies God gave us

It means we will argue but apologize and move on

It means we will laugh together so hard that we cry

It means we will drive each other crazy...but learn to get over it

It means we will treasure and enjoy the good times

It means we will encourage each other through the tough times

It means that we will acknowledge every day that God has blessed us beyond what we could ever deserve

It means we will trust each other

It means we will choose to love each other every day...despite the good, the bad, the what ifs and what nows.

Here's to the next 15 years... and more!

And the wait is over!

SQUEE!

Ginormous kudos to Amazon.com! I got my camera today - less than 48 hours from the time I ordered it...with FREE shipping!

So the deal with this camera is that it is at the very bottom of the SLR camera family. Great for novices like me who want to take really great pictures right out of the box and then have the ability to learn to use the features as I desire. And it did not cost me a mortgage payment :)

I.love. it.

Not really sure how much better I could do above and beyond what I have done in the past couple of hours with the basic auto features though...take a look!

First, the standard flora and fauna up close shots...these are un-retouched...and from my yard :)

little red rose

little pink flower

I love the detail of the "hair" on this plant

Minnie Mouse (our fish) thru the glass tank

And then some family shots (the plant life was way more cooperative!):

kids and hubby

the kiddies

Will says, "Help! Attack of the kissing sissy!"

Waiting is so hard to do...

I just ordered (well, really Scott just ordered) my new CAMERA!! I have been wanting a really good quality SLR camera and decided upon the Nikon D40 SLR.

I cannot wait until it arrives. I hope to start posting some really great pictures in the near future!

Vacation? Define vacation.

Well, I guess it was vacation in the sense that neither Scott nor I had to be at work. And Kiawah Island, SC was most definitely its typically beautiful self.

But really, how much rest and relaxation can anyone expect to get when your two and six year old kids take advantage of the only allowable time they can spend an entire night's sleep in the same bed with mom and dad?

And night frights? Will has got 'em. Twice during the week he "woke up" around 3am screaming "no mommy, go away mommy!" at the top of his lungs, kicking and hitting me. What a way to wake up.

Really makes you feel like a good parent to hear that coming from your child in the middle of the night. Both times it took him about 10 full minutes to calm down, go potty and fall back into a real sleep.

The other nights he would simply wake up at 5am demanding food. So he and I would pad out to the kitchen, grab a breakfast bar and some juice and 20 minutes later he would be ready to go back to bed for a bit longer - thank goodness! Of course he was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed no later than 6:30am most days.

Thankfully, Eliza Grace was so worn out that she was out like a light each night with not a word - hallelujah! She attended 2 mornings of Kamp Kiawah and, even though there were only a couple of kids and she was the oldest, she still had a lot of fun.

We got in a few nice bike rides and some delicious afternoon naps. The ocean was really nice and we spent a lot of time floating on the waves and playing on the beach building dribble castles. Both Eliza Grace and Will have no real fear when in the ocean, which I am both happy and nervous about.

One highlight was fishing at one of the lakes on the island. At first I was just concerned about Will falling off the small pier because of the threat of drowning...until the alligator showed up! It swam right up to and under the low pier that we were fishing from and swam around a bit. I, quite understandably, did not let go of Will's shirt after that and managed to talk him into going back to the car with me for a snack...lest he become one!

We also survived our annual South of the Border stop that Eliza Grace so desperately loves. Dang, that place is nasty. I cannot for the life of me figure out how that place stays open for business. Oh, well...the kids enjoyed it.

It was a nice get away but both Scott and I commented more than once that we are too old to still have kids this young. We eagerly await vacation a few years from now where we will sit with a cold drink and a good book under an umbrella whilst the kiddies entertain themselves!

Will enjoying a rest by the pool

This fella was munching on someone's lawn as we peddled by on our bikes

One of the many egrets wandering the island. Mom, is that a "snowy" egret? :)

No comments needed for these!

Hip Hip Horray for Chik-Fil-A

During Scott's recent four weeks of consecutive out of town travel, the children and I started a Tuesday night Chik-fil-a habit. It became so routine that the employees definitely recognized us each week and Eliza Grace is apparently convinced that this habit should remain part of our weekly routine. Why Tuesday nights, you ask? Because they have "extra special" kids activities or goodies on Tuesday nights. That's how they reel you in.

This past Tuesday was their back to school shin-dig, complete with balloon man, face painting and the requisite Chik-fil-a cow. Poor Will. He wanted so much to talk to and hug the cow. And you could see him mustering up his courage. And then just when he was ready to take those steps forward, he would quickly retreat to my lap.

In the end, the cow sort of snuck up on him and patted him on the head before he could get nervous about it. He smiled for quite a while after that!

Anyhoo, the face painting lady could have charged $15 person for what she did - at least that is what the going rate is at Tweetsie. Here are a few pictures of Eliza Grace. It seemed well worth the 15 minutes she stood in line to have it done. And then of course, we washed it off 2 hours later!

It does a Mommy's heart good...

Well, it was at least 30 minutes past bed time last night when I went upstairs to start the nightly push to get my children to get into their beds....when I came upon this sight:

Eliza Grace sitting there with her arm around Will reading a book to him. 

I very quickly ran back down the stairs, grabbed my camera and (sort of wishing Eliza Grace had made her bed that day) snapped this picture.
 
I LOVE that Eliza Grace and Will love each other.
I LOVE that Eliza Grace loves to read.
I LOVE that Eliza Grace wanted to read a book to her brother.

Happy Mommy sigh....then I jumped into my nightly rant about getting them into their beds :)

My cuties

Just felt like posting some recent pictures of the kiddies. Mind you they had to be taken during those few "in between" moments when they were not antagonizing, fussing and generally bugging one another.


In these moments, they are fairly cute.

First day of first grade, July 8, 2008

The famous Duplo tower...seconds before a smiling Will took it out

Not long after the "Duplo incident," Eliza Grace prepares to take her revenge using her America Bear (from Build A Bear). Will, as you can see, was blissfully unaware of the impending attack.

Moments later, after successfully running away from Sissy, taking the time to mug for the camera. He refers to this smile as his "I'm cute!" smile

This picture was taken upon request after Eliza Grace stated that she looked really snazzy.

Week 4 and the fun just keeps comin'

Scott is in Nashville for the fourth week in a row Mon-Fri this week and here is what Will looked like on Tuesday morning:



Yep, those are hives. This is the 4th outbreak of hives in his short 32 months of life on the outside. This time they are (best guess) from a virus that he apparently has picked up. The upside is that it is not likely that they are from yet some other allergic reaction...whew!

Poor kid is so itchy. It has been so bad in fact, that we went back to the Dr. at 7:30am today and got a prescription antihistamine to put on top of the 10mg of Zyrtec a day. Neither drug, by the way, really make him that drowsy.
And like a typical kid, this has not in any way slowed down his pace for running, playing, jumping, or eating.

Here's praying that Will's hives go away quickly and that ModusLink remembers that Scott has a wife and family that would like to see him home for good.

My Travelin' Man

Just wanted to give a GINORMOUS shout-out to all the working single parents out there.

This is week three of Scott's Monday - Friday stint in Nashville, TN. Once again, this coming Friday he and I will learn whether or not week four will happen next Monday.

I know it is no more fun for him than it is for me...since he has to do the work at the plant there and still get things done at the plant here too.

Or...maybe he planned the whole thing, because somehow he has managed to be gone the week before, during and after my once a quarter period. Hmmm. (Sorry, TMI!)

Regardless, here's to all the single working parents and the hope that some day soon you will get a moment to relax all by yourselves!

A girly kind of day...

Well, a little blurry but it's a flower!

Eliza Grace sorely tried my very poor artistic skills this past weekend....but, I think I did darn good! Of course, all 10 nails peeled off perfectly in the bathtub 6 hours later - my art literally went down the drain :)

The request was for palm trees on one hand and flowers on the other...

because she is an Island Princess, geez, don't you know anything?!

20 Years Ago... Part VI: The Wrap Up

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V

So it is September 1989 and I have just arrived back in Lake Buena Vista, FL to be a permanent Disney cast member. The phone rings and it's Scott. We chat for a bit and then he asks if I want help bringing my stuff into the apartment. I said, "well that would be nice, but it would be difficult to do all the way from Crawfordsville IN." To which he replied, "actually I am in town so I will be right over."

Ok, what in the world was he doing in Florida?? He was supposed to be at work in Indiana. So, when he arrived at my door, I asked him, "what in the world are you doing here?" And he said, " I came to help you move in."

Sidebar: Scott always professes that he is not a romantic. And he isn't. Not in the giving flowers, jewelry, candle light dinner kind of way. Because his personal love language is "doing things" behind the scenes. Nothing flashy. Rarely verbal in any way.

He shows love and caring with understated gestures. Like driving all the way to Florida to help me move in. Or helping a friend install new computer hardware or software. Or installing motion sensor lights in the bathroom when the Eliza Grace was too short to reach the light switch :)

But I digress....where was I? Oh right...so....

I was floored! Did he really just say he took a week of voluntary temporary layoff and drive 900 miles to help me move a couple of boxes into my apartment? What was going on here?

Well, to say I was clueless is an understatement. But, come on...this was Scott. My buddy. The tall guy. Geesh, I could not see past his sternum, for crying out loud! Was he interested in me as more than a friend? Hmmm...I thought a lot about that over the next couple of days. And this time when he left, I really missed him. In fact, we began talking on the phone at least once a week after that (and that is pretty monumental, let me tell you, because Scott HATES talking on the phone).

So, we planned to get together again.

By now it was April 1990. I flew to Indiana and we drove to Chicago to visit InX buddies, George and Laura, who lived in and near Chicago, respectively. We met and stayed with George's aunt and uncle, toured a small, local brewery (a highlight for Scott!) and went to the top of the Sears tower (first time for me!). It was all very innocent and fun.

But then, the night before we were to drive back to Indiana, I got tired of waiting. Yes, that's right. I was waiting for that first hand hold or first kiss or a first....something! But no, Scott was playing it cool. So I took matters into my own hands.

On April 21st, 1990, right there in Gene and Myrna's third floor playroom, I made my move. Using the excuse that I missed his birthday earlier in the month and had not gotten him a present, I offered him a kiss as my gift. Well, I tell you honey, that is all it took. And since my mother, relatives, friends from church and someday possibly my children might read this, I will not elaborate...except to say it was just some smooching - come on, we were 22 years old!

So we agreed that we certainly had a "thing" for one another.

Now, in an effort to quit dragging this story out for another couple of months, the timeline of the next 18 years went like this:

April 1991 - Jacque cannot take one more tourist asking her "What time is the 3 o'clock parade?," turns in her mouse ears and moves to Crawfordsville, Indiana

February 1993 - Scott finally decides to quit fighting the inevitable and decides marriage will not kill him. Together Scott and Jacque pick out an engagement ring at the Camel City Pawn shop in Winston-Salem, NC (You are surprised? Do you KNOW Scott??)

September 1993 - Scott and Jacque tie the knot with nearly every member of the InX in attendance. Karaoke anyone?

October 1994 - Jacque and Scott adopt 4 month old Lucy puppy from the Crawfordsville animal shelter and thus their first "baby" arrived

October 1996 - Scott and Jacque move to Cary NC (thank you, Lord Jesus!)

January 8, 2001 - Elizabeth Grace Hughes was born - 8 lbs, 8oz and 21 inches long

November 23, 2005 - William Foster Hughes was born - 8 lbs, 8oz and 22 inches long

And that pretty much brings us to today.

20 YEARS later.

But every now and then, when I am driving down the street on a warm summer day, a certain smell or song suddenly flips a switch in my heart and I get that nostalgic, fluttery feeling in my tummy.

And, just for an instant, I am back in Florida, with no cares, no worries, lots of sun and lots of amazing new friends.

The feeling is wistful and fleeting, but it feels really good.....you know what I mean?

And all it started 20 years ago.....with one piece of paper....taped to a dorm wall....by a girl named Holly....who knew a guy named Scott.

20 Years Ago... Part V

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Well, as you may have guessed by now, the summer of '88 was THE summer for me.

I spent 3 months working in the Mexican Pavilion at EPCOT, being treated as the "gringa favrita." I also had no fewer than three marriage proposals during that time. To be fair, two were blatantly based on a desire for a green card but I think that Pancho was quite sincere in his quest for my hand. Alas, I had to let poor Panchito down gently, explaining that it was just not our destiny. I did not tell him, however, that I really could not deal with the fact that he was an inch shorter than me!

Me and Panchito in front of Disney U. I was slouching and he was pushing up on his heels

Me, Alejandro, Alejandra and Maria in the Mexican Pavillion breakroom. Alejandro..another suitor :)

During that same 3 months, when I wasn't working, I spent my time playing with my new and dear friends. Spontaneous road trips to Cocoa Beach (yeah, that's right, where Major Nelson and Genie lived!), enjoying quarter beer night at CJ's (and yeah, that's right, way back when they had 25 cent BEER nights), 3am dinners at Denny's on I-Drive (and there are about 100 Denny's on I-drive), going to the Giraffe for free shrimp and wings....ah, those really were the good 'ol days.

But, alas, August inevitably arrived. Time for us all to return to the real world. Back to my final year at Carolina. We said tearful farewells with determined plans to reunite during the school year. It was HARD to leave. Everything felt too good, too fun and too right for that 3 months. Sigh. But, we had to move on...plus, I had spent every penny I made on Mickey Mouse ear hats for like 30 people.

So it was now Autumn in Chapel Hill and I start getting these strange calls on my answering machine. Quuuuuuuuuu...I miss youuuuuuuuuuuu" (for those of you who do not know, my nickname is "Q") And then a click. No name, no nothing. The next time my mystery caller thankfully ended his message with "this is Scott."

Now, as you are likely aware, Scott is a fairly common name. And I actually had a couple of really good friends at Chapel Hill named Scott. So to be honest, I was not sure which Scott this was. Finally, I was actually in my room the next time the phone rang. And lo and behold, it was Scott Hughes....the tall guy....from my summer in Florida. Turns out he was planning a road trip to come visit his buddies in NC (Holly, Heather (Holly's sister, whom he met in Florida in '87) Dara, Suzy T and little 'ol me. He drove down for the weekend and we all got together and had a fun time as friends.

Scott enjoying a lot of female attention, Fall 1988 (Suzy T, Dara,Holly, Q & Scott)

Sidebar: About a year later, when Scott and I were "officially" dating, he recalled exactly what I was wearing and how my hair "was swinging behind my head in a pony tail" when he first saw me walking across the street in downtown Chapel Hill during that fall visit.

Dreamy sigh....

I, on the other hand, had no memory what-so-ever as to what he had been wearing....which is why I take pictures!

The following February 1989, the entire InX gang gathered in Nashville for a winter weekend of fun. Quite the road trip for Dara, Holly and me. It was snowing as we slugged our way through the NC mountains when suddenly Dara's driver side windshield wiper flew off! Dara was concerned about visibility - naturally - but I reasoned that "I could still see" from the passenger side. Yes, I know, what a completely dufus thing to say and rest assured I got razzed about that for many years to come.

After a stop at a gas station where a really nice man put the new wiper on for us, we were ready to get to Nash-vegas. That weekend, I got to meet more folks that hailed from Crawfordsville, IN (Elizabeth T, Karen Marie A) and we made lots more great memories. Like when we took over the "house" band in the hotel bar - dang we had some cajones! Monte on drums, Karen Marie on keyboards, others grabbing available instruments and then we belted out a really bad rendition of "Margaritaville.

Ah, good times. Good times.

Being silly in downtown Nashville (Elizabeth, Monte, Dara, Suzy, Holly, Scott & Laura)

Then Spring came and so did college graduation. What in the world was I going to do now? I had a degree in Speech Communications, which I also referred to as "fluff!" My big plan was to wait tables all summer, save money, and move back to Orlando to recapture some of the summer of '88.

(By the way, you can never go back and recapture it....sorry to say but it is true. So just do like me - revel in the memories and move on!)

Jill already had an apartment ready for us with a couple of other roomies, so I was focused on getting back to Florida. So early September I hopped in to my brand new car (Honda Civic, interest rate a whopping 14% and a monthly payment of $218.31 - it was going to be a long 5 years to pay that baby off!)

Well, I walk into the new apartment and I immediately had a phone call. Strange, but true. It was Scott Hughes. Hmmm. He and I chatted for a while and then I said I needed to unpack my car, to which he replied....
(Welll, you knew I was going to drag it out further, didn't you?! Part VI soon, I promise!)