A Day Away...

We really needed a day away as a family. (OK, so it was last week already!) And with Cora starting school last Thursda, well, this last weekend was IT!
(The boys start tomorrow!)
We had a gift certificate from (hold on to your seat) FIVE years ago!
For Grand Harbor.
They in the past, would not book the room without it being pre-paid, and then reimbursed when we brought the gift certificate... so in the past we have passed.
But I called the manager again, and she booked me. We have another nights work of certificate left which we will use sometime this winter. :)

ANYWAY, we had a FABULOUS time!
This was the view out our window...And our other window...We played at the water park Sunday night until 9pm.
When my three walked in, they were so overwhelmed I think, that they weren't quite sure what to do first!(does Daddy look like he is having fun or what? :) )We ate junky snacks at the snack shack, then ordered Tony Romas appetizers via room service, and played Nintendo DS together,then in the morning we went to the cable car,walked a bit,doesn't he look like a little ad model? :)and I went to one shop while the rest of the family got ice cream,and then we headed back to the water park...
After the waterpark closed at 7pm (another 6 hours of swimming!) we went to Eagle Point Park and caught the sunset.
Got this shot on the way... I just thought this church was very pretty...
(Speaking of God... :) )
Sometimes God smiles. And it is obvious.
It was one of those moments and views that make you take pause. This view, this place has been and will be, the same for hundreds to thousands of years with little change. The river has no concern with iphones or finances... it just is. And when you are in the presence of it, you can just be too...
(no editing what-so-ever)And sometimes you get REALLY lucky...
When we left this view to head back to the car, we were met with HUNDREDS of bats catching bugs in the street lights that just turned on in the park! It was CRAZY how many of them there were!!! It was a wonderful couple of days together! CANDI and I take the Iowa State Fair!!
(*pictures are kinda rough... Candi "promised" her camera pictures, and I am still waiting-so I'll just post her phone pictures. I have a feeling I'll get the fair pictures when she gets her girls photo shoot pictures! LOL!)

What I didn't place in, she did and the other way around... except in "2-page layout". We both placed. :) Candi got ANOTHER blue ribbon for her Christmas layout (was a Mississippi Valley Fair winner last year!) and I got 3rd for my club layout... this was the category I thought I would throw my "conservative" layout into. :)
I got a 1st (below) in "Use of Embellishment" and a 3rd in "One page layout". ("Dang Cute" just published in Scrapbook Trends.) :)
I haven't made it up there and I am not sure I will. :(
I mailed my entries.
ANYWAY, Candi also got a 1st in stamping (other than a layout) -I was project lead on a stamp book, yet didn't submit a THING to the stamping categories!! LOL! WELL-they weren't LAYOUT catagories! I'm a LAYOUT girl!! :)

And for Projects, I think this was my biggest disappointed, but not for me (my flower frame got no placing...) Candi's TOTALLY awesome frame (old window scrapbooked) placed second behind a paper bag book. WHAT???????? I thought it would get first for SURE! I love her frame! :)

My fair theme layout below didn't place either... guess cuz I didn't cut my pictures into letters to spell "Iowa" or "Fair"! :)

ANYWAY, I reached my goal-get a ribbon at the fair! And the STATE fair to boot! :)
It was fun-I kinda had that feeling you do as a kid winning a ribbon at the fair!

I'll leave you with this picture... I just love Gavin's expression while I am kissing him! :)
Be blessed-and love each other! :)