Finally, feeling like I am back in a routine...

It has taken me about a week to get back in the groove and get moving back in a routine. I spent the morning running out to school and getting stuff together for a meeting tonight. When my daughter and I got back from picking up my son we ate lunch and then went outside and tore out an ugly bush of ours. My daughter cleaned her room. I spent the next couple of hours cleaning the house. A very busy day but back where I needed to be. We all will be pretty busy this week. It was nice seeing some of my students this morning!

All Vacation Pics Done

Click on these for our vacation pics.

Myrtle Beach, Biltmore Estate, and Ripley's Aquarium

Duke

and some home flood pics...Flood 2008

Enjoy!

The Biltmore Estate - Day 5

We went to the Biltmore Estate today in Asheville, NC. We were there for roughly six hours and walked most of the time. It was very impressive! I don't remember all the facts that were thrown out but I can tell you this, it was immense! We got to visit 60 rooms of the house. My favorite parts were the basement, that included a "game room" and and indoor pool, and the smoking and gun rooms. We ate at Deer Park at the estate. It was a wonderful lunch buffet with some original twists on some southern favorites. When we get done we went the Biltmore McDonalds for some drinks. It was weird to see a McDonalds dressed up to be that upscale. The food or prices were not different but the place looked pretty classy (pictures posted later).

Tomorrow starts the long ride home with a side trip through the Smokey Mountains. I miss the kids and can't wait to get home. It has been a fun trip but the days just flew by.

Day 2 and 3

We have been busy! On day 2 we drove to Duke University in Durham, NC. I took around 70 pictures! It was amazing! It is one of those places you never think you will get to see. As most of you that read my blog know, I am a big Duke basketball fan. Click on this link if you wish to see all of my Duke pics.

After we visited Duke we drove on to Myrtle Beach, SC, which was about a three and a half hour drive. As soon as we got there and got settled we walked across the street to the Atlantic Ocean! My wife had never seen the ocean before. We were both excited to be there. We then went to Broadway on the Beach and ate at Margaritaville (which neither one of us had been to). It was a great first day at Myrtle Beach.

On day 3 we got up and ate a quick breakfast and then hit the beach. It was in the 90's yesterday here so it was already pretty warm at 9 a.m. After a morning on the beach we went and ate a seafood buffet called The Giant Crab. It was delicious but we both ate way too much! After our late lunch it was on to Ripley's Aquarium (South Carolina's most visited tourist attraction) at Broadway at the Beach. It was really cool and I got a ton of pictures! My favorite part was the tube that you walked through. It was like you were right in the middle of the ocean. Since we were at Broadway at the Beach again we just milled around and did some souvenir shopping. It started to rain a little so we went back to the room and chilled awhile. When the rain had stopped we took advantage of it and went for a walk on the beach. Even though it was quite late there were still tons of people on the beach.

We plan on going to Barefoot Landing today (kind of like Broadway at the Beach) after another trip to the beach.

Day 1

My wife and I got up at 4:30 a.m. and were on the road by around 5:30 a.m. We drove 13 hours and are now sitting in a motel room in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was a long day but it was well worth it. It was sunny and hovered around 80-85 degrees during our drive. We really enjoyed the mountains in West Virginia and Virginia. It was the first time that my wife had seen anything like that. She was impressed. We enjoyed the satellite radio and our GPS. We both miss our kids but are enjoying ourselves.

Tomorrow is the day! Here we come Duke Blue Devils. We are around an hour and a half from Durham, North Carolina...the home of my Duke Blue Devils. I can't wait to see Cameron Indoor Stadium!

Pictures coming soon!

Trip Tomorrow

Leaving for vacation tomorrow! I can't wait. It seems like we have been planning this for 3 years! I will post a blog with my pictures that I plan on posting on Picasa. I'll will be thinking about all you people not on vacation. :)

By the way...I hope we don't run into any flooding! It sounds like it could be possible but we will see.

10,000!

Since I added my counter I have now had 10,000 hits on my blog! I know to some of you big time bloggers that isn't many but that seems like a pretty big milestone to me. Thanks for the visits and keep coming back!

A Perfect Day

Yesterday was a great day! We had a lot of fun as a family. My son had one of his friends over in the afternoon. He hadn't seen his friend in about a year. He now lives in Peoria. They get along great and I think his friend is a good influence on him. His buddy is quiet and very polite. I am not saying that my son is not polite but his friend seems to have a calming influence on him. They had a blast playing PS2 and war. At around 6 or so we all went to the St. Francis picnic. All through the day I kept thinking that the heat and wind was going to blow up one heck of a storm but it never happened. It was still pretty warm at the picnic but there was a nice breeze. The kids had a blast running around with their friends and my wife and I had a good time chatting with friends. I left the picnic at around 8 and the boys were right behind me. My wife and daughter stayed a little longer but were home around 9 or so. When everyone was home my wife and I sat out on the patio and the kids played out in the yard. A family of friends stopped by at about 9:30 and we had a great time talking and watching the kids run around and play flashlight tag. As I told my wife, "This is what summers are all about!" Anyway, that was my perfect day.

More Stroms On The Way

I can't believe it! More storms on the way. I hope we get through the night without some serious damage.

Fun Summer Day

My son had a friend stay the night last night and they already beat Lego Indiana Jones! His friend stayed until 10 a.m. and then we ran errands. I had to get the rest of the stuff for putting down some quarter round and a few things at the store. My wife and I decided to take the kids out for lunch so we did the HyVee thing. The kid's loved it! They ate a ton! When we got home I put the quarter round down and the kids played. My daughter was excited because she got to go next door and play Wii with one of her little girl friends. It sure is humid out. It seems like we went from early Spring right into the middle of summer! I hate having the air on.

Barack Obama

It seems that Obama is the man! Is that good or bad?

Summer So Far

I have been really busy so far this summer. I have done some Spring cleaning, painted part of the the garage, done some "fixin' it", cooked, taken the kids to the park and for ice cream, and walked everyday so far. I have been slacking in the blog department but I will do better. I am currently waiting for my mother in-law and my wife's Aunt to stop by with some clothes for my daughter. Yes, I have been busy but it has been a fun and stress free busy so far. I get my blood work done on Thursday for my kidney doctor visit which is next week. Vacation is right around the corner and I am really looking forward to it. My son just got Lego Indiana Jones today for his PS2 and he and his friends have been up in his "man-cave" all day playing it. He put it on reserve and has been patiently waiting it's arrival for about a month or so. The weather has been exciting around here the past couple of weeks with strong storms and tornado watches and warnings creeping up it seems like every couple of days. Anyway, enjoy your summer because I am sure enjoying mine! By the way, I rub it in to my brother every chance I get!