House of Lloyd

We have been wanting to go to Rock City for a few weeks, and we finally decided to go today. I woke up feeling horrible with crud coming out of my eyes and coughing. I went to the walk in clinic and got some meds, and then we were on our way.

The goal was to visit the Garden of Enchanted Lights and get a photo for our Christmas card. That plan did not work out. Madilyn was a little grouchy and did not want to smile and pose for the photo. A second goal of the trip was to get a picture of Madilyn with Santa. That went over like a lead balloon. She pitched a fit and wanted nothing to do with jolly old Saint.

Even though we did not get the photos I wanted, we still had a good time at Rock City.

So my last post was in September and today in Nov. 2. Where did the month of October go?

Random Happenings in October:

• Attended the first of several “Leadership Academy Classes.” Maybe I will get an AP job this coming year.
• Caleb was assigned the Science Project from the deepest, darkest pits of hell. His teacher is a wack job. I really can not wait for 8th grade science to be over.
• Madilyn has had to go back on breathing treatments. I was hoping to get further along in the year before this happened.
• I got accepted into KSU to work on my Ed.S degree. Classes start in January. Am I really ready for another 2 years of college?
• Trying to remember that God is in control even when it appears he has left the drivers seat.
• Madilyn had a Halloween Party at her day care. She dressed as a circus monkey and was so cute.
• Hoping that November and December do not go by as quickly as October did.

Hang on to your hats, because I am sure November and December will be just as exciting =)

The highlight of the week was Gran’s Cooking School. This experience was so good , that it CAN NOT be lumped in with the other events of the day.

We love spending time with gran. Not only because we always get a good meal at her house, but because she is a dear lady who has a wonderful sense of humor. She is one of my favorite people to be around. She really means alot to not only David but also to me.

Cousin Sherry wanted to learn how to make Fish Cakes and Fried Corn Bread. Once we heard that Gran was going to give a cooking lesson we wanted in on the fun. We had a great time learning how to make the family favorite- fried corn bread. Don’t ask because I won’t tell, it is a secret recipe. The tips Gran and the others gave were great. Maybe one day I will become an expert with making these two dishes, but I doubt mine will ever be as good as Grans.

Somehow we got the wild idea to do “Corn Bread Fish Patties.” So we took a lump of the fish patty mix and pressed it together with the corn bread mix and fried it up. It was wonderful. Everyone really liked the end result.

Madilyn had some corn bread and loved it, so I guess I needed to learn how to make it. I will have to try to make some soon.

It was a great day, and we all left stuffed. This is a day I will remember for years to come.

We have always wanted to visit the Kennedy Space Center but have never had the time. We decided that now was a good time to make time for a visit to the space center. Caleb has always loved space and we thought that this would be a good side trip that he would enjoy. We left our hotel around 8 in the morning and headed to the space center.

We decided to participate in the “Up Close and Personel Tour.” This tour was about 2.5 hours in length, and took us all over the compound. We had several stops along the way in which we were permitted to get off of the bus in order to get a better view. These stops were a life savor to us, because while Madilyn was pretty good on the tour she did get a little restless and these stops permitted her to get down and run and explore on her own.

We only got to see about 1/2 of what the Kennedy Space Center has to offer. We plan on returning again, so that we can see everything that we did not have time to see on this trip. Caleb really enjoyed the tour. I am glad that we finally made time for this.

Today was our last full day in FL. We spent the moring at the pool. We then went and had lunch with Gran, Poppa Judah and many others. We spent some time at Diane and Aubrey’s prior to going to Jermey and Jan’s for a family dinner and a party for Diane’s birthday.

It was a long but fun day.

Today we visited the Sebastian Inlet and Fishing Museum. This museum has artifacts from David’s family on display. It was interesting to see family history on display. We had planned on swimming in the inlet but changed plans when we arrived. The inlet was full of 3 bus loads of happy elementary students who were enjoying a field trip. So instead we spent time at the pool, had dinner at Diane and Aubrey’s and returned to the hotel a little early in the evening because Madilyn was teething and wanted to go to bed. One of the best things about having a 13 year old and a toddler at the same time is that the teenager can babysit the toddler so the mom and dad can have a few minutes alone.

Madilyn was asleep by 8:00. David and I decided to take a walk and find a nice quiet place to get a cool drink. We found The Green Cabin Room on the resort site. We sat on the porch and enjoyed each others company, shrimp cocktail and a cool drink. We could not see the sunset but it was nice to feel the ocean breeze, and see all of the stars in the sky.

Enjoyed another lazy day in Florida. I love having a fall break. We ate breakfast at Shutters again. We all tried something different. We learned that the flooding in GA was pretty bad. However, we have learned that our town has not been hit hard. That was a bit of good news.

We spent the day being lazy. Madilyn really loves the water and Caleb enjoyed the pool slide. The beach was basically not an option due to the harshness of the tide. It was too dangerous to take Madilyn on the beach when the waters were so rough.

Caleb went to church with Jeremy and Jan, while David and I took advantage of having a “date night.” We had heard the Ocean Grill restaurant was a great place to eat. It was wonderful. The view was awesome, and the food was mouth watering. It was nice to spend time alone with David without worrying about the kids or anything else. We do not get very many date nights, so it was great to have one while we were on vacation.

While we were at dinner a storm came through. It was a sight to see the waves get rough, and the clouds rolling in over the water, really beautiful to watch. It moved through quickly, which was good because as much as I liked watching it, I did not want to get soaking wet going back to the car.

Today David, Madilyn and I walked to the beach to watch the sunrise. It was cloudy but still a great site to see. I have always loved watching the sunset and sun rise on the beach. Later we went to breakfast at Shutters. This resturant is at the resort and had a wonderful ocean view. The food was pretty good.

After breakfast we decided to take a trip to the pool and spend the morning relaxing. Madilyn once agian enjoyed playing in the water. She thinks she can swim and wanted out of her float. Caleb enjoyed the waterslide. We all enjoyed that the pool was not crowded and that it was well maintained.

Later we went to Jeremy and Jan’s house for dinner and to spend time with family. We had a good visit. Madilyn loved playing with her cousins Victoria and Preston.