BLOG EXPLOSION!!!

Well hello ya'll!! I've done it again!! I'm simply a Blogging Babe failure!!! I can't tell you the last time that I've actually sat down and sorted through different pictures and tried to put together a post that's worth reading. But I'm back from fabulous vacation and I had a little time to play catch up!!

Over the summer, I did lots of traveling with all of my kid groups at the church. Probably one of my very favorite things to do with them was go to Louisiana to the Insta-gator Ranch! We were able to hold baby alligators and I was terrified for the first 30 minutes until the tour guide yelled and told me that my kids were "showing me up" and all the kids heard him and started saying the same thing!

I was absolutely TERRIFED!!

and then I got a little more comfy!

Two days after I got home from Louisiana, I left for Philadelphia, PA on FBC Choir Tour 2010. I got to spend an entire week with some of my very favorite people doing lots of fun things!! This is our group when we stopped at a church in Abington, VA to sing for morning worship.

We spent several days touring the big city-- we took a double decker tour and got to see so many landmarks and cool buildings, we ate at some fabulous restaurants, and even watched 3 movies (Despicable Me, Toy Story 3 in 3D, and The Sourcerer's Apprentice).

We visited the Liberty Bell...

and Independence Hall. I know pretty much NOTHING about History, so most of my youth decided that they'd use the week to quiz me on historical events. Epic Fail!

I also got to visit the Amish Country which was super interesting!! Those people are hard workers, I tell ya!! I'm not so sure that I could survive their lifestyle!!

After the Amish Country, we headed to Hershey, Pennsylvania!! SO. MUCH. FUN! We went to the Hershey Chocolate Factory and shopped and took a tour of Hershey on a trolly ride! It was so much fun!

I took the picture below on the trolly ride. This is Hershey Park! I stated MANY, MANY times during the week that I wasn't going to ride anything at the amusement park and that there wasn't a single one-minute thrill that was worth any back trouble!! BUT... I couldn't stand it! I couldn't be shown up!! So, I rode several roller coasters and other rides and had the time of my life!!
I got home from a week on Choir Tour on a Saturday, only to turn around the next day and pick up my Junior Miss girls for the week! This year was my second year to drive for Mississippi's Junior Miss. Many people called me crazy for agreeing to help out when I had so much going on, but that's such a fun week and I don't ever want to miss out!!

Each night while the girls are in Meridian, there is a party! These are my girls (and me) on the way to the Spotted Pony Bid Party. Talk about a car divided!!

(Lamar County, Meridian, Hancock County and Neshoba County)

I'm pretty sure that every driver thought their girls were the BEST and I certainly did too!! We grew super close for a week and I'm so thankful that they were placed in my group!!Jr. Miss ended on a Saturday night and that following Monday, I left for my final week of camp! I spent the last week of summer with some awesome friends and some amazing 3rd-6th graders!!

(please note that I have NO CLUE who the man in the background is)

If you live in the Meridian area, you've heard that Weidmann's has re-opened! We went two weeks ago to celebrate my Grannie Poe's birthday! SCRUMPTIOUS!! I don't remember the old Weidmann's but apparently they're brought back some of the specialties from the good ole days! I've only been at dinner, but I'm wanting to try the famous vegetable plate lunch soon!

Oh, oh and onto the most fabulous week of my whole summer (I'm pretty sure I said that about every week of summer)...

THE SISTER GIRLS WENT TO THE BEACH!!!The past week has been so much fun! My mom, grandmother, great aunt, 2nd and 3rd cousin all loaded up and soaked up the sun in Orange Beach! We played games, ate, talked, ate, layed out, ate, laughed and lauged and ate some more!! I've never laughed as hard in my enitre life that I did when we were in a game of Taboo. I SO wish I could post video and pictures of my grandmother and great aunt trying to describe those purple words, but I was threatened that I would be beaten within an inch of my life if those appeared on facebook or the blog!

Another treat of the trip was TCBY! Oh, how I miss our sweet treat place in Meridian!My mom and Jesselyn Grannie Poe and GrannieThe Sister Girls before dinner one night!Me and ErinSandra D and MeThe Bathing Beauties... ha! Not so much!

We all have our differences and most of the time, we all speak our mind (well except for 2 of the sister girls, the rest of us can hold our own!) But one thing that we all have in common is our 2nd toe. They say that if your second toe is longer that your big, then you're the boss of your family.... guess that's why we're all so "in charge!" ha!

To all of you that blog, I found this cute little ornament at The Bag Lady at the Wharf!! How cute is this?!?!

Thanks to all of you that check in with me periodically. I got a text while I was at camp from a friend named Rebekah that said, "Do I need to give you something to talk about bloggin' babe? You're blog needs some attention!" Things are back on track, school is back in and the traveling is slowing down so I'll have more time on my hands for this blogging stuff!!!