Adelynn & Logan...my precious grandbabies!

You know that I haven't blogged in a long time when I have not posted pictures of my precious grandbabies.  Here are some of my favorite pictures.

"A Little Slice of Heaven"

I love to travel, I love meeting new people and I love history. That is why I fell in love with Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia..."A Little Slice of Heaven", I always say.  This place was one of the most amazing places I have ever been fortunate to visit and I look forward to visiting again.

I was hired through the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to work at the prestigious Williamsburg Inn. I worked alongside some amazing chefs.  My Executive Chef was Travis Brust, who as I worked with him got selected to compete in an International chef competition AND won 1st place in his category and 3rd overall.  My Executive Sous Chef was Scott Watson and he, along with Chef Travis and Chef Mel were selected as guest chefs for the prestigious James Beard Competition in New York City.  They represented the Inn magnificently.  Thank you for the honor & privilege you entrusted in me to be your Pastry Extern.  I appreciate the opportunity you gave for me to grow and learn in this industry.  

Williamsburg Inn

Colonial Williamsburg is known as the "Revolutionary City". This was our Nations first Capitol before relocating to Richmond.  The streets of CW are transformed into a living museum and "residents" educate guests on what life was like during the Colonial Period.  You get a chance to tour through the homes and shops and learn about the history of these homes and purchase items that were customary in the day.  All of the items are made on property; the bricks, the paint, baskets, etc. that are used in the upkeep of the area. Dine in a local tavern and enjoy food and drinks that were available to our forefathers.  The streets are adorned with horse drawn carriages and residents play games on the lawn and you have an opportunity to join in on the fun.  Daily the members of the Fife & Drum line march along Duke of Gloucester Street engaging guests with their uplifting music.  It is truly a sight to see.

How to make yarn demonstration

Revolutionary Soldier

Revolutionary Soldiers

Colonial Nursery

Playing games

Colonial Shops

Learning from our past

Actors from "Cry Witch" play

A glimpse into the past

One of my favorite stores...I love the bonnets

The Palace

A stroll on a beautiful day

Revolutionary games played by the cutest little boy.

Fife & Drum Members

Life Changes & Highlights

Where do I even begin?  It has been sooooo long since my last post and I would have regrets if I did not blog about my experiences, so...here goes!

State Gymnastic Results

Way to go Saginaw! The team placed 3rd in the state. As for Hunter, he rocked! Of the four events he competed on, he advanced to the events finals for Pommel and placed 10th. Not too shaby for only being a sophmore with less than two years experience in gymnastics. We are so proud of him.

Look how our Garden Grows

So I blogged recently about planting our first garden; which we refer to as "Adelynn or Ady's Garden". I am amazed at how the garden is growing. Our small efforts are paying off. We haven't produced a lot of vegetables yet but we are producing and that makes us so happy. We feel such satisfaction from knowing that we are trying to contribute more to our food storage and being self reliant.

Meet Nicholas & Allyssia Ramirez

* Nick met Allie at Reception for Basic Training. She remembers "the guy" wearing his

cowboy boots with his Army uniform because he didn't have any other shoes.

* Nick and Allie fell in love. At first it had to remain a secret (Nick is the only guy I

know that can meet a girl when there is supposed to be a "No Fratrinization in

Basic" rule)...figures!

* We met Allie at graduation from Basic in November and instantly loved her.

* Nick and Allie are both Combat Medics and therefore were both getting stationed at Fort

Sam Houston in San Antonio.

* Nick visited Allie for New Years in Pennsylvania. Her family and friends adore Nick.

* They really got to know one another quite well at AIT. Training for Combat Medics are 18

weeks long.

* They had planned on a long engagement. Not wanting to get married before Steve came back

from Afghanistan was important to them and Allie's sister was getting married next year so

they wanted to be respectful and wait until after her wedding. They had however discussed

that IF there were a chance for deployment than they would marry sooner. Allie is active

duty and has been stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. Her assignment has attached her to a

brigade that just returned from oversees in December and is already slotted to go again.

Therefore, they chose to get married sooner.

* They had a small wedding in front of the Justice of the Peace but has plans for a larger

wedding later on.

* We are so excited for the happy couple. We all just LOVE them together. I know many have

already met Allie, but I am anxious to let her meet the rest of the family...we think you will

love and adore her as much as we all do.

Combat Medic

After Nicholas completed Basic Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in November they sent him to do his specialized training a.k.a. AIT in San Antonio, Texas. After an additional 16 weeks in training at Fort Sam Houston, Nick has graduated as is now a Combat Medic. We are so proud of our newest soldier.