Wagon Trails & Senior Golf - 181/365

Family fun all around today! 

 Jim and Greg, took in the Constellation Senior Players PGA Championship today. The tournament was played at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh. The PGA ended up sending the players off both sets of tees to get it done faster, so Jim and Greg left to go around 6:30am. They got to the course at 8 and stayed the whole day, until the leaders were coming up the last hole. 

 One of the highlights of the day for them, was Greg getting to talk to Fred Couples. They were watching him warm up on the driving range, and being a leader, there were no other players around at that time. The staff had already torn down all the ropes surrounding the range, too. Freddie started to walk toward the practice putting green when Greg said, "Go get em, Fred!" Freddie replied, "Thank you very much! I'll try my best!" What a cool moment! 

Another cool thing about this tournament was, it was Colin Montgomerie's senior tour debut. They said they really loved getting to see some of the greatest golfers of all time like, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Craig Stadler & Cory Pavin. In the end, Kenny Perry beat Fred Couples by 2 strokes. They said it started pouring the minute they got in the car, so the timing was perfect! They really enjoyed their time together today! 

While they enjoyed the tournament, Reagan and I had some family fun of our own. Ed and Pam were in town for a friend of the family's party yesterday. They were going to head home today, but not till later afternoon. Ed went to visit a friend for the morning, so Nana, Pam and I, took Reagan to Wagon Trails in Vienna. 

We got there right when they opened at 10:00 and were the first wagon out. Being the first wagon out means, HUNGRY animals! We made our first stop and got swarmed by animals. I think the camels caught us all off guard, because their heads just were all of the sudden, IN THE WAGON. They were HUGE! I bet their heads alone were the size of Reagan. Anyway, we all jumped back and Reagan just wigged out and almost started crying. I felt so bad. She was a little shy at the next stop or two, but by the end she was throwing food at all of them! She said her favorite were the deer, because they were little. LOL! 

Speaking of deer, we saw one laying up against the wall having a baby! The poor thing was breathing heavy and kept trying to look down at her "girl area." The driver didn't seem to concerned for her. They see it all the time, I guess. I've never seen anything like that! 

At the last stop, we ended up dropping two buckets over the side...ooops! There was a lady who saw and told on us. The driver was funny, she said, "Oh it happens numerous times every day!" Ha ha, take that tattle tale! 

After Wagon Trails, we met papa and Ed for lunch at Inner Circle. Uncle Eddie brought Reagan another Toob of animals. This time it was Dinosaurs! She LOVED them! They sure kept her busy during lunch! Thanks, Uncle Eddie! 

 This evening, Jim, Reagan and I went to take a walk at the three mile trail. We were at the complete the other side, ready to turn around, when we started hearing thunder. I checked my phone and sure enough, there was a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Eastern Mahoning County. It said there was a severe storm moving north toward Boardman, carrying wind gusts of 45MPH with penny size hail. We looked at each other and just started booking it. We would run a little, then walk. We passed an older guy on a BIKE during a walking part, and he said to us, "You better go faster than that, there is a severe storm coming." We wanted to say, "Thanks for the scoop grandpa! Can we have your bike?" We made it back to the car in RECORD time and it was JUST starting to sprinkle. When we pulled out of the park though, there was only a small black cloud. I don't think it ever did storm. At least it didn't in Canfield. Oh well. We got some jogging practice anyway...LOL! 

 I have a couple photos for today....

The first is Jim and Greg at the golf tournament...

The next is two pics from Wagon Trails...

And finally, Reagan with Uncle Ed, Aunt Pam and her new Dino Toob...

In closing for today...I wanted to mention that today is the 6 month mark for this project! I can't believe I've been doing this for 1/2 of a YEAR already! I'm so, so happy that I'm doing it though. It really is fun and I love documenting all the small and big moments in our lives. Even six months in, it's fun to scan back on what I've taken pictures of and see what we've done. I love it so much, that lately, there is numerous photos of the day. I guess it will just make our final hardcover book more fun to look at over the years to come! 

I want to thank all who stop in and peek at the blog daily and for your wonderful comments. It means so much to us that you care enough to keep up with our lives. You each mean a lot to us! You keep me motivated and on track! I appreciate it! Love to all! 

Here's to 6 more months! We can do it!

MB20 DAY -180/365

It was a super exciting day today! It was Matchbox Twenty day! 

We started the day just hanging around the house. When it dried out I cut the grass, while Reagan and Jim played in the yard.  When I was done, I went to get the mail and it just so happens, that Reagan got some more mail for her mailbox! Aunt Pam sent her a little postcard with zoo animals asking about her summer. It was SO CUTE! I snuck it down to her mailbox and I guess she found it later in the evening, when her and Jim went back out to play. She get's so excited to get mail. Thanks, Aunt Pam! 

I was so excited all day for the concert! They are hands down, my all time, favorite band! I just love them and especially Rob Thomas! I have been listening to them consistently since 1994 when "Push" came out! I don't think there is one song that he alone, or Matchbox Twenty as group, sings, that I could say I "hate." They are just awesome! 

My mom and I headed out around 4:30 and stopped in Lisbon to have dinner at the Shale on the way. 

There was a little bonus of having the Goo Goo Dolls open the show. I have always liked the Goo Goo Dolls' stuff on the radio, but I never "owned" any of their music. They were pretty good and sounded just like the recordings, which I liked. They did have this weird, little guy in the band though. He was out there in black socks and no shoes. He wore all black and had shoulder length, stringy, JET black hair.  AND, he was a SWEATY mess. He almost looked like he was on drugs or something. It was hard to focus on the music watching the antics of this guy. Crazy! 

Something I had never seen before at a show, was a guy running the sweeper. When the Goo Goo Dolls finished and they started to prep the stage for Matchbox Twenty, there was a guy just sweeping away. It was a sweeper any of us would have in our home! It was strange!

 Matchbox Twenty came out around 9:30 and opened with Parade. It was awesome! They played for TWO STRAIGHT HOURS, it really was phenomenal!! Rob Thomas was a sweaty mess by the end, because he was all over the place! 

Rob loves to play with the crowd and took someone's cell phone and ran around the stage taking pictures. At one point, the whole band even had "adult" beverages on the stage. They were all slugging down beer, except for Paul. He had a lovely glass of red wine! They did a nearly 20 songs and every single one sounded exactly the same as you are used to hearing it!!! It was just awesome! The crowd was very well behaved, too! It was a wonderful, wonderful evening. We didn't get home until 1:00, but it was SO worth it! 

The photo of the day is a collage from the concert, because when it comes to Matchbox Twenty, I can't pick just one! LOL!

The next is a few from the Goo Goo Dolls, with the creepy little guy. 

And last but not least, just a funny worth remembering. This is what happens when Jim eats a string cheese in front of the kids....

 

Rascal Flattin & A Picnic - 179/365

Busy day for all today! 

Jim headed off to work and Reagan and I headed off to gymnastics! 

Nana wanted to come and watch, so she could see her in action! They have a nice little area with bleachers for visiters. Reagan got a kick out of her being there. She would finish an activity and look over and say, "Hi, nana!" LOL! 

She is already improving after one week. It's so fun to see her progress! 

After gymnastics, we ran a couple errands, then headed home for nap. 

This evening, Jim and Reagan were going to go down to the Premec's, for the neighborhood 4th of July party. This is the second year I had to miss it, because of a concert. Ironically, last year it was Rascal Flatts, too! They had a great time and lots of yummy food. Parker and Reagan were running all around and even played with some sidewalk chalk. It's always a good time, I was sorry I had to miss it. 

 Meanwhile, my mom and I went off to the concert. We ended up stopping at Rachel's in Austintown for some dinner! YUM! 

Our drive up was perfect! This was the first Rascal Flatts concert in four years that we didn't have to drive to Blossom in a thunderstorm. Bonus! 

Rascal Flatts came out at 9:30 and opened with Life is a Highway! Our seats were FABULOUS!!! We were right there and they are just so entertaining, makes for a really fun time. Their set was just absolutely stunning this time! They had so many monitors with these awesome scenes that corresponded to the songs. Amazing! 

Our favorite song of the night was, "Bob That Head." During the song, they had GIANT bobble heads of the band, on the big screen behind them. It was hysterical! 

 At another point during the show, my mom even got some attention from Joe Don. They were singing "Here's to You" and a line in the song is, "There's a mom and a dad, in the aisle, not acting their age." Well, I just started waving and pointing to my mom and he laughed and winked at her! It was too funny! She was being very well behaved, I should say...LOL! 

It was a really, really fun night! Looking forward to round two! 

The photo of the day is my mom and I in front of their truck!

Also a collage of the concert...

Next is, Reagan at the neighborhood 4th of July picnic...

And finally, it was a sad, sad day for us. Our good friends and neighbors, moved out of their house across the street. We have become such great friends and it was so nice to have them so close. We always helped each other out when one of us would be away.

They aren't going far, which is nice. They are really only moving up the street, but it will be sad not to be able to talk and wave across the driveways anymore. 

We'll miss you Ron and Rachel! Especially, the surprise visits from Sadie! LOL

Here is the moving truck leaving their driveway....tear. Love you guys!

Photo credit: Rachel Musilli ;)

 

Animals, Rides & Lunch - 178/365

It was family fun at the Cleveland Zoo today! 

A bunch of us were supposed to go, but with the iffy forcast, they backed out. 

Nana, Reagan and I decided we still wanted to go and headed on up to the zoo. The drive up was pretty rainy, but as we got to Cleveland, it got brighter and brighter. It ended up being a perfect day! It wasn't too hot and no sun beating down on you! 

We started at the elephants. Reagan LOVES the elephants! They walked right in front of us and were eating some hay. She was thrilled! 

We then headed over to monkey island. They were all sound asleep, so we just visited her little monkey statue friend on the bench. LOL! 

 There was a giraffe feeding at 11:00, so we booked it over there to get in line. Today, they were giving them lettuce. We bought our lettuce and gave it a whirl! Reagan was really into it after feeding the giraffes Sunday at Living Treasures. She was even more excited because the giraffe's name was "Jasmine, like my princess." as she told daddy when he got home. It was fun watching Jasmine eat. She just devoured that lettuce in one swoop of the tongue. We had so much fun we got in line a second time...LOL! 

 Next, we headed over to the wolf house. She was pretty disappointed that we couldn't see them, but the turtles on the way out made up for that. She loved seeing the bald eagle, too! There was a zoo employee wandering around the wolf house talking about the animals and was carrying a wolf pelt. She was fascinated by that and was looking for his eyes and nose. She poked her little finger right where the eye would have been...yuck! She didn't quite get it.

We continued on to the Norther Trek, to check out the bears and seals. Reagan LOVED the seals. She liked watching them swim all around. One was sleeping and another tried to get it's attention. The sleeping one, kinda made a noise like, "get away!" She had a good laugh at that. She said, "that seal say, go away!" Another kept dipping his head in the water and that was pretty funny for her, too. 

The polar bear was right front and center today.  He is one of my favorites in the zoo. I love visiting him! He's just fascinating!

Next to the polar bear, is the grizzly bear. He is really cool, too! He was also all over the place today. He was hanging on a log, walking all around. Reagan thought he was stuck and said a couple times, "Oh no, he can't get down!" 

We headed back down and went through the dinosaur exhibit. She wasn't thrilled with them at all. She did a little crying, but not much. She just really, gently expressed her displeasure with the roaring. There was one, that was kind of making a burping sound, so we told her, "Oh listen, they aren't scary, they're just burping!" After that, she seemed a bit better...LOL! 

It was on to Australia after that. We had a good time feeding the lorikeets. They were a little more quiet than usual, but we still got a few customers. 

We made another stop at the elephants, then went over to the gift shop on the way out. We got Reagan a little shirt for next summer and I did purchase one Christmas present! Go ME! 

After we left the zoo, we went to a little Place called Memphis Kiddie Park. It's only 3 miles from the zoo. My mom heard about it last summer, so we thought we'd give it a try! It was such a cute little place. It's mostly just for toddlers. They have probably 10-15 rides, a putt putt course and a little concession stand. Reagan absolutely loved it. She would ride a ride, the attendant would get her out and she would walk to the next car to try to ride again. She did it all, and all on her own, too! I was so proud of her! She did ride her first roller coaster and Nana got to enjoy that with her! Reagan was just a pro and even had her hands up during the ride! I can tell she'll just love Cedar Point someday! 

 By this time, we were all starving, so we stopped and had a late lunch at Champps in Independence. It was really yummy! 

When we got home, Reagan and I were on our own, because Jimmy had a late meeting in Vienna. Reagan and I just watched a little TV. It was the first time she really lounged and watched TV, like really VEGGED out! She usually is too busy running around playing to watch TV. After her "time out", we headed outside. We did the play set, sandbox, chalk, bubble mower and scooter. What a busy day! 

 Jim had a good meeting and got home just in time to do bath, so he was happy! 

It was a great day! 

 The photo of the day is Nana, Reagan and I at the zoo. 

 The next is Reagan on her first roller coaster!

And finally, Jim and I were flipping through the channels tonight, doing our own vegging. Anyway, he stopped on a football game and noticed a player had our name. You don't see that EVER! 

 

Scrappy - 177/365

Today started with my mom and I hitting the trail around 7:30. 

Reagan and Brinkley stayed behind, since she was still sleeping and Brinkley would have been black with the roads still being wet. 

When we were done, my mom took Reagan back to her house for their play day! Nana loves her play days with Reagan. They had a great time! They played lots of games and went to dinner at Tippy with Papa.  After dinner, nana and papa brought her back here and put her to bed for us! It was so nice!

 I took the day and did a TON of laundry and gave the house a much needed cleaning. 

When Jim got home from work, we headed over to Niles for dinner and baseball! 

Jim had never been to the new Firebirds, so we decided to go there. Raymond and Jennifer had gotten us a gift card, so we got to put that to good use, too! Dinner was great! We enjoyed the ranch rings and some yummy burgers! 

After dinner, we had a little time to kill before heading over to the field, so we took a quick stroll around the mall. 

We finally headed over to the Scrappers game. We were meeting Jim's mom and dad for the evening and it was a beautiful night for some baseball. The Scrappers started out a bit rough and never were able to recover. They ended up losing 6-1. 

One annoying thing during the game was, the man next to Jim's mom, kept putting his ugly feet up on the dugout. We were so grossed out, but it made for some fun jokes...LOL! 

During one inning change, they had the Dunkin' Donuts mascots race. When they were done, we got our picture taken with them...LOL! 

Which leads me to the photo of the day....Us with the Dunkin' mascots.

The next is the ugly feet, guy's feet. That's poor Jim's mom's drink.

And finally, back to cute...Reagan playing Candy Land with Nana. 

 

Mr. President - 176/365

Today was just a regular day for Reagan and I.
Nana and I went for a walk early and then Reagan had music class. After class, we ran some errands with nana. We got Reagan a little scooter, since she loved her cousin Ally's so much. We also got a little blow up pool. And finally, we made a stop at Menchies. We had always wanted to stop in, but had never had the chance. In the evenings, it's kinda far for a quick trip with traffic, to get to. Reagan loved it, as did Nana and I! YUMMY! 

We got back, got the pool all blown up and started filling it with water. Once it was full, I noticed some lovely black clouds rolling in. Of course, it started storming!
Oh well! Maybe another day......

Jim had an exciting day today!

 He officially becomes the Vice President of the Boardman Rotary on July 1st, (he's currently the secretary) but today, he got to act as president! 

Due to scheduling conflicts, the current president, vice president and treasure could not attend today's regular lunch meeting. Because of this, Jim had the opportunity to perform all FOUR officer roles at the meeting by himself. He said he made the caterers sit up at the podium for awhile, and act as the other officers, because he was lonely. It was the first time he ran the meeting as president. He said he had a lot of fun being in front of everybody and getting to talk for the full hour. He said he only made one mistake, when he forgot to ask if anyone brought any guests. He also said he didn't think anyone fell asleep, but couldn't be sure! LOL! I would bet they did not fall asleep! 

The photo of the day is Jim up at the podium all by himself. Usually there would be three other people up there with him...LOL! 

The next is a picture of our little one enjoying some Menchies! 

Special Delivery - 175/365

Typical day today.

Jim's mom was coming over to spend some time with Reagan, so I decided it would be a good day to look for a new kitchen table. Our current table actually belonged to the people that lived here before us. It's nice, but the wood was always a little lighter than I wanted and it's starting to look a little old now.  I would just like to have fresh! There is also a little bakers rack that matched it, that I would need to replace, too. 

I recruited my mom to hit the furniture stores with me! We hit them all and found a few prospects, but no bakers racks, ANYWHERE! I'm so bummed. I love having it there to put my pictures and seasonal stuff on. I would lose four shelves of fun! I guess I'll have to keep looking. 

 As the day went on, I started to get a pretty nasty headache. It hurt to even take steps. I took some Tylenol and closed my eyes while Reagan napped, hoping it would ease up. By the time Jim got home, it was pretty bad and actually making me a bit nauseous, so I laid down again and slept until 7:00. 

While I was in a coma, Jim and Reagan went down to feed the fish at the pond, went for a walk, and played on the swing set. 

Earlier in the day, when I got the mail, I saw that JoAnn had sent Reagan a little card that said, "C/O Reagan's Mailbox." When JoAnn stopped over the other day Reagan kept looking in her mailbox and saying "awwww, I no have any mail!" When JoAnn left, she said she would send her some mail to put in her box, and sure enough, she did. When I got up, I took it down under my shirt to her box. It wasn't no time, she looked in her box and gasped, "AHHH, I have mail!" She tore open the envelope, she was SO EXCITED! I think it made her whole day! She carried it around outside the rest of the time and now it's hanging in her playroom. Thank you Aunt JoAnn for making her day! You are too sweet! 

The photo of the day is Reagan and her mail!

 

Living Treasures - 174/365

This morning we headed over to pick up Reagan at nana and papa's. We got there and she barely said hello to us! She was just having a good time with her toys...LOL! 

When we left nana and papa's, we were off to Living Treasures animal park near New Castle. We had never been there, but had heard good things about it. It only took us about 40 minutes to get there. 

 It was a cute little place! When you go in, they have a nice little gift shop and counter where you pay. Next to the register, they have two baskets. One had tin buckets filled with pellets and the other had bags of baby-cut carrots. You were able to purchase either or both, to feed the animals. We decided to get two full bags of carrots. What a great purchase, because we had such fun feeding the animals! 

They had your typical farm animals you can feed at any petting zoo... deer, goats, ponies, and cows. What was really neat though, you got to be up close and personal with some animals you don't typically get to feed! We fed the zebras, kangaroos, tortoise, and even the giraffe! 

They had two giraffe named, Levi and Blue Jeans. What sweet and gentle giants they were! They had the longest tongues and could NOT get enough carrots. Reagan really loved them, but was a tiny bit nervous if they got a little too anxious for carrots. LOL! We had a great time with them! 

She really enjoyed the typical, farm type, petting zoo area. She was just having a blast with the baby goats. She was giving them big hugs and holding the carrots up saying, "Here you go!" They weren't really that hungry, so she was confused as to why they weren't taking them. 

 The only animal she said she didn't like, was the donkeys. One got a little aggressive with her and gave her a bit too much slobber. She wasn't amused...LOL! 

 It really was a great little place. We would go around another corner and be amazed at some of the animals. They had everything! Even alligators and tigers! They really could rival Akron Zoo for animals. It was a bit smaller, but every bit as nice! We would go back in a heartbeat. 

We got home and Reagan went right down for a nap. She has had a busy couple days, so she was pooped! When she got up, we just hung around in the playroom and played on the play set. Josh came over and played with her for awhile, too. They did the slides and lots of sidewalk chalk. Ron, Rachel and Parker even popped over for a quick visit.

I was watering my flowers tonight and noticed that Reagan's marigold plant, she planted at Tales for Tots back in April, started to bloom! It has two little flowers. It's HUGE! It's growing like crazy! 

Also tonight, we watched Nik Wallenda walk on a tight rope, a quarter of a mile across a section of the Grand Canyon. He had no safety net and no safety harness! What a NUT! It took him nearly 25 minutes, but he did it! CRAZY! 

The photo of the day is Reagan feeding the giraffe.

Next is, Reagan's little marigold blossom & plant.

And finally, the nut crossing the Grand Canyon...

 

Birthdays & Presidents - 173/365

Fun day today! 

Reagan had a friend birthday party and we had the Boardman Rotary President's party! 

My mom and dad's neighbors, John and Meshelle, have two little kids, Niko and Nyah. Whenever Reagan is over visiting nana and papa, they go over and play with them! Nyah was turning three and having an art birthday party. The party was fantastic! It started at 4, so Jim and I were able to stop for a little bit, before we headed to the president's party.  

Meshelle had it all set up perfectly! When you arrived, she had paints and a canvas for you to make a hand print and sign it for Nyah. The treat table had rainbow licorice, paint brush rice crispy treats, rainbow cupcakes, and cake balls! For food, she had a taco bar. So cool! 

After while, the kids all got to paint. She had huge sections of white paper stapled to some trees in the backyard. She had made each kid a little smock, with their own little basket with paints and paint brushes. They had a ball! 

Reagan was going to have a sleepover at nana and papa's, so they stayed and partied. Jim and I headed off to the President's party. It was held downtown at the new Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center. It's an annual event we always look forward to attending. It's a chance for the rotary to honor the person that had been the president the past year. This year's honoree was Jim Grantz, a friend of Jim's from Rotary, who shares our love of Disney and Jimmy Buffet. He's a really fun guy we enjoy talking to! The party always symbolizes something the president loves, so they had the room decorated in a luau type theme. There were lighted palm trees, leis, and seashells everywhere! They even had plastic margarita glasses with flowers as centerpieces.  It was so cute! 

While the evening is mostly about the departing president and honoring his year of service, there is a small part of the event, that recognizes those who are moving through the leadership position. They call this "going through the chairs." You get selected, then have 4 years in the leadership roles...treasurer, secretary, vice president and finally, president. Tonight, Jim was given his vice president's pin and will take over that position in the club beginning next week. Jim loves being a part of the rotary and is honored that they chose him to be a leader in the club. We're proud of him too! What a fun night! 

The photo of the day is Jim getting his Vice President pin from Dr. Fred Soller, who was president in 1984.  Also, his pin.

 Next is, Reagan and Nyah and Reagan and her art supplies. 

 

Gymnastics, Swimming & Andrew's Baseball! - 172/365

It was an eventful day today! 

Reagan and I started the day at her very first gymnastics class at Ohio Gymnastics Institute. She was so excited! We got there and she jumped right in. There were only five little ones, which made it nice. They started with a few stretches and then moved over to the bigger mats. They ran, bounced and landed on the mats. They were having a ball! 

Next, we moved over to the trampolines. That was a fan favorite! Everyone kept trying to bounce at once. It was so cute! 

Finally, there was a little obstacle type course. Reagan did fantastic! She did the low balance beam like a pro! I was so proud of her. At the end of class, all the little ones got a stamp on their hands and feet for doing such a great job. She loved it! 

After class, I asked her if she liked it and she said, "YES!" I then asked her what her favorite part was and she said, "jumping and rolling!" 

After gymnastics, nana met us at the house and we headed over to Shelly's to do a little swimming. Shelly has an awesome little pool in her back yard. We had such a great time! Reagan loved floating on her huge chair raft and throwing the rings in the water! Shelly kept going under water and Reagan would get so nervous. At one point, Reagan said, "come back up here!" LOL! She also loved Shelly's little dog, Fritz. He's so adorable and hopped right up on the chair with her while she was drying off.

After we dried off, we headed home for nap time, so we could rest up for Andrew's game! 

Andrew had been wanting some visitors to come to Amherst and watch one of his games. Of course, we said we'd be happy to come watch him play! This year his team is the Hawks and they have only lost one game! He did such a great job and got two hits! The game ended up in a tie. 

The girls had a great time running around during the game, too. Aunt Nikki, even brought Reagan some popcorn, which is her FAVORITE! She was so excited! 

After the game, we headed to the Hastee Tastee with the team for some ice cream. Yum! We all had some yummy treats before heading over to Matt & Nikki's. 

We had a nice time sitting on the patio having some beverages and chit chatting. The kids played with scooters, bubbles, chalk and chased lightening bugs. They had a great time! Nothing says summer more than baseball, ice cream, porch parties and lightening bugs! It was a super fun evening and a great day overall!

I have three photos for today.

The first is Reagan at her first gymnastics class...

The next is Reagan lounging in the pool....

And last, but definitely not least, here is Andrew getting a hit! You can even see his ball flying away! So proud of you Andrew!

 

Playing, Picking, Crabby & Chesney - 171/365

Busy day today, again! 

 It started with a visit from Aunt JoAnn and Bridget. JoAnn had never seen the playroom and wanted to see the new play set, so they stopped over for a visit. The girls had a good time playing. Bridget was so great with Reagan! Brinkley was happy to see Aunt JoAnn, too. He wouldn't leave her alone! 

After our visit, we went and dropped Brinkley off at his beauty appointment. 

While he was there, my mom and I went over to Toys R Us to see about getting Reagan a small sandbox. She loves the sand! They ended up having a cute one, shaped like a crab. We got to the counter and paid. The lady said in the walkie talkie, "I need one crabby sandbox please!" After a few minutes, she said, "we're out of crabby sandboxes." Which made us crabby...LOL! They ended up having a bunch in Niles, so we just swung over there to pick one up! 

We got back to the house and got it all set up! It's so cute and Reagan LOVES it! 

Before we went in, Reagan helped water some flowers. We noticed that our first strawberry was finally bright red! YAY! Reagan picked it and then we sampled it. I have to say, it was great! We are all about strawberries this summer! :) 

Then, it was time to get ready for the Kenny Chesney concert! Woo hoo! 

Jim had his last Rotary Board meeting, before they switch presidents this weekend. This president always held his meetings at night, so Jim wasn't going to be around to watch Reagan. Papa, so sweetly, volunteered to play with Reagan until Jim got home, so we could get going to the concert! How wonderful!
 Nana, Papa, Reagan and I ended up having dinner at Nicolini's. 

After dinner, my mom and I headed to the concert and papa and Reagan went back to the house to play. They played in the sand and on the play set. Reagan even got papa to go down the blue slide! They had a great time together! So great, that when Jim got home, Reagan look at him and said, "Dada, go back to work. I want to play with papa!" LMAO!
We got to Blossom with no problems and the concert was FABULOUS! He had an awesome set, with huge HD video screens! It was amazing! He really is such a wonderful entertainer! He NEVER stops! He runs back and forth on that stage like a mad man. He couldn't give anymore if he wanted to, he's fantastic! We hadn't got to see him in a few years because he had been doing the bigger stadium tours. We went to a couple and the atmosphere stinks. We decided we would only see him if he did Blossom or First Niagara.  So happy he came back around! We had a great time!
 The photo of the day is Kenny. I forgot my camera, so this is an awful iPhone photo. :(

Here is Aunt JoAnn getting some "love" from Brinkley...she was cracking up!

The next is Reagan in her new Crabby Sandbox....

And finally, the first of our own strawberries and Reagan doing the first "pick"...

 

We finally meet, again! - 170/365

 It was a big day today!

A couple weeks ago, I FINALLY found out the name of the man that fell of his tractor, thanks to a lot of help from friends and family. 

His name turned out to be Mike and he lives right in Canfield. 

I ended up sending a gift card, some pictures and a letter explaining everything in a card right before we left for the Outer Banks. My mom did the same. When we got home, I was listening to the answering machine and there was a message from him, thanking me for everything. He said that he would be love to have visitors if I wanted to go. His voice really didn't sound like he was doing all that well, so I was a little nervous, but did really want to go!

Jim's mom was coming over today, to have some Reagan time, so my mom and I figured it would be a good day to go. He was right at a rehab in Austintown, so we stopped and got Maggie's Magic Muffins for him and headed over. 

We got there and found his room pretty easily. He didn't know we were coming, so I was a little nervous. We walked in and introduced ourselves. He said, "Oh, your the people who sent me these letters!"  He had everything we sent hanging on the wall by the television. It was so sweet! He was super nice and made us feel comfortable instantly. We all hit it off and had a wonderful conversation. 

 The nurse came in about 15 minutes after we got there and told him it was time for lunch. He asked her if we could come with him and us if we wanted to stay. We said "of course!" They ended up having a lovely screened in porch with some comfy patio furniture, so we hung out there while he ate.

He really was in wonderful spirits with everything he went through. He made quite a few jokes about the accident and just life in a rehab. He said, "Yea, it's ok here! Kinda like being on vacation!" I don't know about that...LOL!

The poor guy ended up with a broken pelvis, broken sternum and a broken NECK! It's a miracle he's alive and not paralyzed! He was in the hospital for about 2 weeks, while there, he was in and out of ICU twice. He's been at the rehab ever since. He hopes to go home soon, but he really does have a long road ahead of him. They wont even think about sending him home until his sternum is fully healed and they aren't even willing to check that, until the end of this month.

He sounds like he has a wonderful family. He's got a wife and five kids, ages 18-24!

I'm just so thankful that he really is OK and I finally got to hear it straight from him. He had still been on my mind every day. It was such a horrible thing to witness.  It was good to see him sitting up with a smile after seeing him in so much pain, covered in dirt.

We hope to visit him again soon! He really was super, super nice!

Nothing really went on the rest of the day. I did some chores after Jim's mom left and Reagan napped. Jim, Reagan, Brinkley and I hit the 3 mile trail, when he got home from work. I had saw a macro picture of a single dandelion puff awhile ago on a photo sharing site. It was gorgeous and I immediately wanted to try it. Of course, I couldn't find any for weeks! Luckily, on our walk tonight, we found a few. I hoarded them from Reagan so I could give it a whirl with my macro lens. It came out pretty cool, but it's nothing like the one I saw. I have a lot of practicing to do! LOL!  That's about it!

All in all, good day! 

The photo of the day is me and my new friend, Mike! 

The next is my Dandelion puff....

 

Fixer Upper - 169/365

 Busy day today! 

Reagan and I started the day at All the Little Birds (click the link to learn about it) for her music class. She absolutely loves it! It's getting a bit sad though, because when we started, she was the youngest one and couldn't even walk. Now, she's one of the oldest and runs all around. She used to sit on my lap while we did songs and now, she wants to sit next to me or stands and dances. She's getting too grown up!  I wish I could just freeze her at this exact age for a year or so. I think next session we'll bump up to the "Big Kids" class. Tear :(

When we were done at music, I met my mom at the house and we loaded up to walk the trail. It was a beautiful day for a stroll. 

After our walk, we went to lunch (LMAO) at Inner Circle. We hadn't been there in ages! We got the hot chips, which totally wiped out the walk, I'm SURE! Reagan was INTO the hot chips and french onion dip. She was a dippin' fool! 

We have a standing joke on the Zabel side of the family...we love "dippy!" Every time we talk about going out to dinner with another family member we will say, "Where did you have dippy?" or "Where is dippy tonight?" Well, you can tell Reagan has Zabel blood in her, when the onion dip was empty, she picked up the little cup, raised it up and said, "Fill dis UP!" My mom and I about DIED! It was a HOOT! 

After lunch, we headed home. My mom and Reagan played on the play set while I ran the mower over the yard real quick. It was the first time for the new blades and they were AWESOME! What a difference! 

This evening, Ron, Rachel and Parker came over for our first "porch party" of the year. We hadn't seen them in awhile, since we were trading time in Corolla.  We were there one week and they were there the next, so it was nice to play a little catch up. The kids and dogs played nice. They were all over the place! Reagan and Parker had fun playing in Reagan's little house on the porch. They were using all the tools. It was like their little "fixer upper!" We all had a nice time! 

The photo of the day is Parker and Reagan working on their first home....LOL!

The next is our big girl at music class....

The next is Reagan's empty, dippy cup...

 

Baby-Cut Carrots - 168/365

It was a beautiful day today! 

Nana, Reagan and I kicked it off back out at the strawberry field. We honestly can't get enough, they are just SO GOOD this year! We each picked another box full and it was just as crowded as the other days. Reagan was all about holding the baskets today. She didn't do much picking. I think she's ready for blueberry season...LOL!

After picking, we went to lunch out at LaRocca's and then ran a couple errands. Nothing major!

When Jim got home from work, we took Reagan and Brinkley up to the Kirk Road trail. It felt good to be back at the trail after slacking for awhile. 

When we got home, Reagan and Jim played on the play set, while I gave my flowers some Miracle Grow. We finished that up and went inside for some dinner. 

Jim and I were just going to have big chicken salads. I got some peppers all chopped up and then went to grab the bag of baby-cut carrots. They hadn't been opened yet, so I ripped them open and went to grab one. The first one I pulled, barely came out of the bag! It was humongous! I held it up and said to Jim, "is this what you call a baby-cut carrot?" We both laughed. I don't know how that slipped through the chopper, it was bizarre! Salads were good though!

 The photo of the day is my not-so-baby-cut carrot.... 

 The next is yet another pic of Reagan at the strawberry patch...