A Pictures worth a THOUSAND words: Florida 2013-Rowley Family Reunion

                                           

 

life as we know it in the SOUTH . . .

We celebrated our one year anniversary here in South Carolina at the end of June. We have become much more comfortable here in this past year, the girls and Boston all had a great school  year with a few challenges to make it memorable, church activities to ground us and help us appreciate our blessings, and friends to make life more enjoyable.

 We will add another driver to our repertoire in the next few days (possibly) this exciting time for McKenzie--I remember feeling a super sense of freedom at this age--now I can understand why my parents may not have shared my excitement.  McKenzie played on the JV Basketball team and lettered in Softball this past year.  She is settling in and enjoying life.

Tailey is playing on the Volleyball team again this year and is really enjoying it.  While visiting family in Utah this Summer she was able to attend her first BYU Softball Camp and had a fantastic time.  These days she has become an excellent student and stays busy with sports, but especially enjoys Youth Night with our Church group. This Summer we discovered she had a football size cyst in her abdomen, later we found out it was attached to her fallopian tube.  Tailey did amazing through the surgery and recovery. Thanks to a request to get an updated Tetanus shot for girls camp this cyst was discovered.  We count Girls Camp as a blessing in many ways.  :)

We have enjoyed visits from Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts, Uncles and cousins and look forward to many, many more!!

 When visitors come, we have found a fun Civil War museum to visit.  Although you will not hear the words "Civil War" here.  It is referred to as "The War of Northern Aggression" or "The War Between the States."
It's all about perspective.  :)

We enjoyed a visit from one of McKenzie's best friends this Summer as well. We had to schedule a trip to the beach to share one of our other favorites of living here.  We took her to Isle of Palms and Charleston.

Boston is in Kindergarten and doing excellent, although he is still working on talking less (must be all these  girls he lives with). He has discovered legos this year and really enjoys building all types of things with them.  He love our dog, Rue, who joined our family last year and is now one year old.  "She is a Jack Russel Terrier", Boston is quick to tell people when they stop to say hello to her.  They are good buddies.

Paige entered the 6th grade this year and is learning to enjoy it.  She is not very fond of her locker, but does enjoy PE and most of her classes.  She is a sweet sister and is very good to help with the little ones.  She likes crafting things with Legos and Duct Tape (a new passion).  She played on a softball team and pitched as well as played catcher.  She also plans to play basketball again this winter.  She also plans to pass up McKenzie in heighth this year.  :)

Quincey LOVES her teacher this year which is a blessing. She turned 9 this Summer and enjoyed celebrating in Utah as well as in South Carolina.  Not many children get this opportunity.  :) She loves to help out in the kitchen and is always a self-starter with her homework as soon as she gets home.  She has made many friends here in our neighborhood and enjoys playing with them and swimming with them.  She is determined to make this year a positive one.

    Darby and I are enjoying being home together, we have successfully organized different areas of the house and cleaned out closets as well as atttended Story Time at the Library.

We miss our home in the ountains, and we miss family and friends, but we are thankful for our home we have here as well as the friends we have made and the things we have learned about ourselves and the world around us.  We feel blessed and recognize He "from whom all blessings flow", for the love and happiness we enjoy.

 

Have I ever told you how much I like change?

Not in the form of pennies, dimes and nickels.  Though I do like that type of change as well. 

As a child I loved to change my room around frequently.  Sorry Mom!

Well, thank goodness!  Because we're heading for some big changes.

Change number 1.

Mike is employed!!

Change number 2.

He is working in Greenville, SC

Change number 3.

I'm a single mom. I totally respected single Mom's before.  But whew!

Change number 4+

We're moving to Greenville, SC


Yessirreeee!  I love change.  Moving . . . . not my favorite.  But I've never been disappointed.

Oh, and by the way.  This is move number 12 in 16 years of marriage.  Cross country move number 3 in 3 years.  :)


South Carolina here we come. 

UnDeR tHe SeA. . . . aNd OtHeR raNdOm ThInGs!

hEY EVERYONE, IT'S kENZIE! 

(don't be mistaken by the name at the bottom)

When my dear mother put the Hawaii pictures on, she forgot some of the very best pictures!

Here they are, but first, short story. . .

While we were there, we rented a under water camera, and if we took 800 pictures, they would burn a disc with all of our pictures. 

So. . . .

We took the very BIG challenge. 

You need to understand, took pictures of EVERYTHING!!!! 

But. . . we only took about 600.  

Now ladies and gentlemen boys and girls. . .  

Are you prepared to see some random and funny pictures!

This is the bubble fish from Nemo

(I got his autograph!)

This is the Hawaii state fish, humu­humu­nuku­nuku­āpuaʻa

( if your having trouble it's pronounced ˈhumuˈhumuˈnukuˈnukuˈwaːpuˈwɐʔə])
                                                (thank you Wikipedia)
(if your having even MORE trouble
ask a 6 year old what song Sharpay sings in High School Musical 2)

This is what happens when you let Quincey have the camera.

Just thought these would make you smile!

 

 Us snorkeling (above)

Where we snorkeled (below)

Here are some more Pictures of our trip on the Road to Hana

     "Can I eat this? Looks like a Oreo!"

Black Sand Beach (the name's really a joke

        because there is absolutely positively no sand on this beach, ONLY ROCKS! It was still really fun though just slightly. . . ah. . . rocky?)

So here are the Seven Sacred Pools. This name is also a joke. One because there are like 16 pools and two there is nothing sacred about them. The story went like this. . . umm. . . . they made up the name to bring in tourists. . .aaaah. . . help please? I kinda blanked out on the part where it got its name cause it was

 BORING!!!

But what you see is definitely something you don't want to blank out on!

 Lava rock beach

Snack break! My favorite!

Why does Bostons face remind me of Christmas story?

Note that he is having Shave ice not shaved!

Shave ice is like snow and has ice cream at the bottom,

Shaved ice is just chunks or ice!

BIG difference :)

 And last but not least. . . . Breath taking scenery

Well that concludes the small glimmers of summers past!

"See ya later dudes!"

once upon a summer afternoon . . .

a neighborhood game of kick ball . . . wet version.

(i loved that they

set this up all on their own,

and with the slip and slide as the

"slide" into home.)

warm memories to remember . . . in the cold of winter

This was an epic trip in the making. 

 4 years of planning (at least). 

 4 different families plus the Grandparents.

14 grandkids.

4 condos.

a week of fun times with family.

Best spot for a hammock . . . ever!

Darby didn't fully enjoy her first encounter with the ocean.

Super Sandy Baby.

Our favorite time of the day . . . sunset walks each night.

Iao Needle hike

Watching windsurfers and surfers

Super Sandy Boy!

Roadside Picinic on the Road to Hana

Kenzie and Brooke the explorers

We enjoyed going on a snorkel expedition to Lana'i and seeing Dolphins.

Thanks for the fun times Grandma & Grandpa Rowley!