Alaska

The last week of June and into July Connor, Kirk, and I took a long awaited Alaskan Cruise.  We went with my mom and dad and my brother and his wife. I have to give Connor credit for celebrating his 17th birthday on the boat as the only teenager in the group.  He was a trooper and had an awesome time.  Carnival has the  O2 Club for 15-17 year olds.  Connor had not planned to go except for the first night.  Well he went every night after that and met about 60 other 15-17 year olds on the boat.  They had activities all night for this age group and they can come and go as they please.  Connor was out until 1:15 each morning ( the O2 events ended at 1:00 AM), so Kirk and I became very sleep depraved.  He had an awesome time so it was all worth it.  Here is a summary of our activities and pictures of a beautiful land:

Day 1 and 2 Relaxing days at sea.  We slept, ate, read, ate, gambled, ate, went to the SPA, and ate again! We also saw a glacier and whales from our room.

First Formal Night

Deborah and Lloyd

Momses and Papa

Connor's Birthday

So Handsome!

The Glacier at the very middle- very foggy

Cold, Rainy, and Foggy

Beautiful Glacier Ice

 Day 3- Skagway- We took an excursion on a train which went through the gold miners trail and enjoyed a Salmon bake at the end.  We also went into Canada on this excursion.

The Yukon Express and White Pass Trail

Beautiful Country

We are in Canada!

On the train!

Day 4 - Juneau- We went on a whale watching tour.  What wonderful animals these whales are.  We saw probably 15 to 20 whales.  It is hard to get good pictures these days because of the laws and staying away from the animals.  I loved watching them from a far!

 Day 5 Ketchican- My parents and I went on a float plane to a small inlet to eat fresh crab.  I got to sit up front.  The crab was delightful as well as the beer!

My parents at the back of the plane.

Our Host for the day.

We celebrated my mom's birthday on the cruise as well.

Connor's favorite part of dinner- the Russian cocktail waitress who took special interest in him.  She  kept his Mr. Pibb glass full! 

 Day 6 Victoria- We were only in Victoria in the evening.  Kirk and I just walked around downtown.  We will never forget Maple Cookies!

The Port of Victoria

It was a fabulous trip.  I consider myself so blessed to get to vacation with my parents and reconnect with my brother and Deborah.  We are already talking about our next trip.  

Count Your Blessings, Bella

"To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world."
- John Muir 

Miami Heat

Jeremy and Connor had the opportunity to attend the Miami Heat vs Oklahoma games in Miami to see the Heat win the NBA championship.  It was a once in a lifetime experience for Connor and Jeremy got to see his favorite player- Lebron win the MVP.  The boys had a great time.  They went to Sunday night's game and the final game on Thursday. In between they joined Luci and I at Disney World with the kids.  We had an awesome family adventure. One with lots of memories and magic!

Brothers with Lebron.

HEAT WINS!

Aren't they so handsome?

What a trip to remember.

Count Your Blessings, Bella

Disney World Through New Eyes

Well what a whirlwind the month of June was.  I have been to infinity and beyond and have loved every minute.  It all started the day before Abbey's wedding, when Miami Heat won their conference.  Jeremy has always been a Lebron James fan- in fact they had a dog named Lebron.  Well after the game, Jeremy asked Luci, who is 6 months pregnant-"What is it going to take for me to go to Miami for the championship games?"  Luci quickly replied- smart girl that she is- " Well your mom and I would need to take the kids to Disney World."  Thirty minutes later the deal was sealed.  You see, Luci and I have been talking about going to Disney World with the kids before Finley was even born.  We had a glorious 5 days at Disney World while Jeremy and Connor drove back and forth to Miami for the games. There is nothing like seeing Disney World through your grand kids eyes.  Miss Finley had a princess outfit to wear every day and let me fix her hair!  One day she even got to go to the Bibbity Bop Boutique and have her hair and makeup done as a princess.  There were lots of precious moments. Thanks again to Jeremy and Luci for inviting me on this magical journey.  Here are a few special memories:

Our view from our room at the Polynesian- an added bonus - we could see  the  Magic Kingdom  fireworks each night  from our patio.

Her first Disney parade.

Our Princess

Tigger and Bella

Mickey and Friends character breakfast

Luci and Piglet- her favorite

Dancing in the parade

Carter's favorite

Carter seeing it's a Small World for the first time.

Scary- I know- on the plane- the kids were great and Luci was very prepared

My boys- so big now


What a magical adventure it was! I certainly am counting my Blessings!
Bella

The Wedding- Abbey and Justin

Okay- it's here!  The blog about the wedding.  Abbey and Justin got married June 10, 2012.  It was a glorious day and evening and a beautiful wedding.  I will try to capture the events through pictures:

Friday: Abbey cooks lasagna for the family before her bachelorette party.

Carter loves Connor!

Finley loves her Connor

Saturday: Luci gave a beautiful bridal luncheon at Chez Zee.

Abbey, Tina, and Bella

Abbey and Mother of the Bride

Rehearsal Dinner at Sasha and Juan's in San Antonio

Brooke, Bella, and Hudson

Abbey and Pappa

The Groom

Connor and the Hudson

 Wedding Day:

More to Come.....

Here is a special prayer for Abbey and Justin.  There is no reason to say more!  Count Your Blessings, Bella

Wedding Day Prayer

Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.

We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name.

By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman.

Defend them from every enemy.

Lead them into all peace.

Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.

Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death.

Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

--Book of Common Prayer (1979) 

Great Grandparents and Grandparents

My mom always told me that she loved her grand kids more than her kids.  I didn't understand that until I had grand kids- but I get it now.  Finley, Carter, and Hudson are perfect in every way.

 I like to go to Dallas and meet the grand kids there so I can take them to my parents house.  We did this a couple of weekends ago. For my birthday,  Friday night Jeremy and I went to see Mamma Mia as we have season tickets. I loved it!   The actor that sang " The Winner Takes It All" had me in tears.  I even think Jeremy showed a little emotion after that song.  It was fabulous. Kirk had to watch Finley at the hotel and get her to bed.  He was moderately successful.  The next day the boys played golf and Finely and I set off to see Momses and Pappa and " the big dogs."  She is so comfortable at my mom and dad's house.  She knows where the toys are and enjoys her visits.  It is delightful to see my parents interact with her.  We went to the toy store to get a toy for Carter.  She picked out a Winnie the Pooh for him.  We also went to the park that afternoon.  It was a quite Saturday with grandparents and great grandparents loving on a perfect little girl!

Here are the pics:

Pappa put pillows behind her back so she could eat- so sweet!

On the big slide!

Perfectly, perfect Finley Grace Smith

A week earlier, we went to Waco to visit mom and Stephen for mom's birthday.  She is a young spirit and enjoys visits with her grand kids.  Ross brought the girls as Debbie and Hunter stayed back in Dallas due to illness. We brought Connor, Abbey, and Justin.  Stephen cooked a wonderful meal and we had a great afternoon celebrating mom's birthday.  Ross and Debbie's girls are so wonderful.

Stephen, mom, and Abbey

Ross, Lauren, and Bella

We love our new son!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Grandparents make the world...a little softer, a little kinder, a little warmer. 


"I love this child. Red-haired — patient and gentle like her mother — fey and funny like her father. When she giggles I can hear him when he and I were young. I am part of this child. It may be only because we share genes and that therefore smell familiar to each other.... It may be that a part of me lives in her in some important way.... But for now, it’s jelly beans and 'Old MacDonald' that unite us."

 Count Your Blessings, Bella

30 Years Ago Today

Hmm- 30 years ago today- isn't that the beginning of a Beatles song?  Well the Beatles music lives on and  so do Kirk and I- without the break up of course.  As of June 5th, we were married 30 years.  Where did the time go?  I so remember our courtship at UT and all the dorm parties, trash can punch, UT games, intramural teams, and oh studying.  He did much more of that than I did.  It seems like just yesterday.  I know I am lucky to have married a great man who is also my best friend and loves me no matter what.  We work hard at marriage and life and most days it really pays off.  Many people have asked us- how do you do it- stay together for so long?  Well the only answer I can think of is we just do it- with a lot of help of course.  We have God and the commitment we made to each other on June 5, 1982.  We have had support from our parents, our friends, and our children as they grow into adults.  So I don't have anything really philosophical to say about marriage.  It is just something we do, day in and day out.  Some days it is really awesome and some days it is okay.  That is life.  I wouldn't trade my life with Kirk for anything in the world. It is my life, my marriage, my spouse.  It is who I am and to quote a movie- he completes me!  So here is a poem dedicated to the love of my life that I read 30 years ago:

What made us come together long ago
Well I think I know
The best in me and the best in you hailed us through because
Always and always since time began
Our being together was part of God's Plan!

I love you Kirk Alan Smith!  We actually went out to the Melting Pot and had a lovely dinner for our anniversary!

Count Your Blessings, Bella

Buster the Hyperactive Puppy

I usually post about the dogs once or twice a year.  It is time again for me to talk about Buster. What unending joy that dog has brought into this house.  Maggie our other dog loves to play with Buster each morning.  I on the other hand am not enjoying the mornings as I am off work.  See Buster likes to get up at 6:30 to play.  That means jumping on the bed and chasing Maggie who will sleep quietly in the morning if Buster does not bother her.  We will work out our morning routine eventually, but for now I am enjoying his energy after 9:00 AM.

A few weeks ago, Kirk and I took Buster out to the farm where he was born.  His mom and dad still live there and he seemed to enjoy playing with his kinfolk.

Buster with Mom and Dad

At the Farm

My beautiful Puppies

We had to board the dogs during Abbey's wedding last weekend and when I picked them up the vet had wrote on the well check sheet that Buster was hyperactive.  I have to say I was a little offended.  He is an extremely active herding dog- now isn't that a nicer way to put it.  We are working on his energy level in the house- but he is who he is and I love him!  Thanks Buster for your high energy, fun loving spirit, and total devotion.

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive."
- Gilda Radner


Count your Blessings,  Bella