Gustav

We are in a Hampton Inn in Troy, Alabama. We left the house at 6:30pm last night and a trip that should have taken 5 hours took aver 12. we pulled into the hotel after 6:30am this morning. the first two hours we went one 12.3 miles. It was a long long long drive but well worth getting out early. We wanted to get out ahead of the storm and the contra flow since that would have made us take roads we did not want to take. There were many cars over heated by the side of the road and there was no gas at any of the stations we usually use by the time we left town yesterday. Thankfully we had filled up both of our cars on Friday. My car made it all the way but we had to stop once for more gas in Scott's car, we found one station with two pumps working and only premium gas but at least there was some.

Chance slept most of the way here and so was ready to get up and go by the time we got here. We were able to watch the sunrise as we were driving on the smaller roads to the little town where the hotel is located. It was very pretty and woke me right up even though I had not slept in over a day. We napped with Chance today, it was good.

Thanks to everyone who called to check on us.

If you want to keep up on what is really going on in New Orleans and with its residence check this site often. I write for this site too and one of our authors stayed behind in his Restaurant in Uptown.

Oh Deedle

Chance likes to pick up Deedle. He puts him in and on all kinds of things despite our efforts to get him to leave Deedle on the ground. Today he put him in the back of his big dump truck and pushed him all around the house. Deedle is a very good dog and it shows more and more everyday. He sat in the truck and never once tried to jump out. Chance was laughing the whole time. It was funny.

Gustav update - We made reservations today for a hotel in Troy, Alabama. That was the closest we could get a hilton family hotel, where we could use some of the hilton honors points Scott has earned from all his travels for work. We are planning to leave Monday Morning really early to beat the traffic. We will still keep you posted.

Our little garden and the impending storm

We have been working on a little garden it isn't much because we do not know what we are doing when it comes to gardening. Our garden has given us a few treats though, the first one is these flowers. we planted some seeds in our garden a few months ago and now the flowers are so tall that they need help staying upright. We cut these and put them in a vase to decorate our kitchen table. Also, a month or so ago I bought a plant at Lowe's that was labeled "green pepper great for this environment" They were not kidding about the great for this environment part it took over a whole section of our garden but turns out it is not producing green peppers but cucumbers. That is the whitish thing in the sink in the second picture. They are huge and don't seem to be turning green but if you cut them open they taste just like a cucumber. We also have a rosemary plant that we used for the first time last night in some soup I made. So it turns out without really intending to have a garden at all we produced a few nice things.

Gustav - looks like he's coming our way. They are predicting it will be a Cat 3 when it makes landfall between Mon. and Tues. We already have booked a hotel room in Troy, MS for Monday and Tuesday nights using our Hilton Honors points. That is about 5 hours NE from here and the closest place we could find with available rooms. So we are not taking any chances. We are planning to leave really early Monday morning if the traffic looks bad. We will keep you all posted on how things are going with that.

Back home

We are back safe and sound in New Orleans. We drove back on Monday after letting Fay get comfortably out of the area. The life of Chance has been a bit hectic lately but we should be home for a while now. Chance has been doing a few new things. One of the big new things he is doing is talking a lot more, he now says "lights" whenever one catches his eye or when he wants one turned on. He also says "toes" and "deedle" and "what's this" a lot. He gets in moods where he wants to know all about things. He will point at all kinds of things and ask "what's this?" He is really interested in learning the names for things even if he is not using them all quite yet. Another big thing he is doing is climbing out of his crib. The morning before we left for Florida we heard him in his crib talking to himself like he does most mornings then we heard his little feet on the floor and soon after he was knocking on our bedroom door. He did not fall or anything, we are still not sure how he climbed out but he did. Then he climbed out of the pack-n-play everyday we were in Florida. The first day for naptime he climbed out as fast as he could for an hour and a half before he finally desided to go to sleep. I just kept carrying him back in and laying him down and eventually it worked. After that first day he just went to sleep when I put him down and came out when he woke up after his nap. The hardest thing was in the mornings because we were sharing a room instead of sitting in his crib and playing for a while he just climbed out and it turns out he wakes up a lot earlier than he let on before. He would just climb out and start bouncing on the bed. Anyway, after we got home we took the front piece off of the crib and ordered the part to turn it into a toddler bed for now he can get out and in his bed at will he can also fall out until the piece comes but so far that has not happened. I will be back to write more tomorrow. Pic #1 - Chance on My Mom's exercise bike, Pic #2 - hanging by the pool in Florida we went in a couple times Pic #3 - sitting in his carseat at home while we had it out of the car to clean it Pic #4 - Chance wearing my Mom's glasses.

All is well

I just wanted to update you all on the tropical storm. It went through very slowly dumping a lot of rain in the area but the winds were not bad at all. One tree blew over on the property here in Florida but it was already dead and did not hit anything on its way down to the ground. Now the sun is shinning and there are blue skies up above. We are planning to drive back to NOLA on Friday but I have to keep an eye on what Fay does because I don't want to drive through it if the storm decides to come back across the state and so we may have to push our drive home back to Saturday. I'll keep everyone posted.

In Florida

I don't have any pictures to upload right now and even if I did we are in Fort Myers, Fl with the super slow internet and I wouldn't be able to upload them very well anyway. On Thursday the company called Scott away. He flew out of NOLA on Friday morning he will be in New York City for the week. I am not doing well staying by myself these days so after we dropped Scott off at the airport I packed up the car, Chance and Deedle and we drove to Fort Myers. It was a long drive but worth it to be with family for the week. I had no idea at the time that there was a hurricane coming. It is not going to be too bad though so we are not worried plus the house we are at is way inland so we should not have any problems maybe a little wind/tree damage. I will let you all know what happens after the storm passes. Right now the skies are cloudy and it is misting a little but nothing more. You can tell a storm is coming though because it is so still outside, I love that feeling of calm. Anyway I just wanted to update everyone. Talk to you again soon.

So Tired

After the reunion he fell asleep on the big bed before I could get his pack-n-play ready

Caught Red Handed...Need I say More?

Yeah That's Soda.

The Reunion

Each year it is nice to see all the family members from all over who we never see during the year and some of whom we don't even talk to all that time. There is a group of about 50 or maybe a little more. We each bring something to eat and drink and we all have a good time just talking and catching up on the events of the last year. Chance had a good time I think. It is always outside which he loves and the weather was wonderful. It was warm with a breeze which made it cool. Chance had received a lot of cars while we were gone some from us and from Grammy and from Aunt Kristy so we took his supply of cars to the reunion with us and laid out a blanket for him to return to when he wanted his own space. He drove his cars up and down the picnic benches, if there were people sitting there he would drive around them or across their backs. It was so funny and great to be able to let him go around so many people and not worry about him, knowing we were all keeping an eye on him. We also went up to the Natural Bridge on the sky lift. I do not have any pictures of this because Chance was sitting on my lap and I was holding him in. My mom took some pictures and I will post them when she sends them to me. The last picture here is Mom and Chance on the bridge. He was tired and not interested in walking much but he seemed to really like the sky lift. He looked all around and when we asked him if he was having fun he said yes.

Hiking in Kentucky

While in Kentucky for my family reunion we went hiking. The reunion is held in the beautiful Natural Bridge State Park in Slade, Kentucky. The first hiking venture was to a cave/arch and is was 1/2 mile round trip. I was not sure how much Chance would want to or be able to walk but between the four of us (my sister Kristy, Her boyfriend Chris (in first picture with Chance) and her friend Samara) we could carry him if we had to. He walked almost the whole way up at least all the areas I would let him. Some of the way the path was not wide enough and went straight down the mountain so we carried him then. The cave was small but very nice. One area had water spilling in from the top like a waterfall and the other area was more closed in with a hole right at the top with light spilling into the cave. Chance liked the cave, he stood where the water was coming down, it misted him till his hair was all wet. We carried him a bit of the way back down but he loved every minute of wondering in the wilderness. We spent the first day, Friday just hiking around and exploring the cabin we stayed in for the weekend. Chance did well after the long drive though he was tired. Next time we will have to go a day earlier to give him some more time to rest from the drive before the day of the reunion on Saturday which is and was a long day. Deedle was also happy to be out of the car and in a place where he got so much attention and was able to run around in the cabin.

One more thing

Hi, we have arrived safely home. We actually got in Sunday night late. We drove straight through it was a long way but it was better to get home than to stay in a hotel room again. While cleaning out my camera I still have these pictures from Myrtle Beach. The last day we went to the local Children's Museum. It was nothing like the one we have in New Orleans and you can read more about that here He did have a favorite thing at the museum though. I am sure this does not surprise you but his favorite thing was a car. He climbed right inside this VW Bug and drove and drove. It is funny because he has sat in the backseat and watched people drive since he came home from the hospital so he drives the wheel and then pushes a button then drives some more. He is so funny.

Out Of The Blogosphere

Rayna and Chance are out of the blogosphere for a few days, they are at the family reunion, and since Chance decided that Rayna's laptop needed coffee, they have no computer. So, I'm posting today, I'm sitting in an airport in philly because, (I can't believe I did this) got on the wrong plane!!!! Crazy huh?  So I'm sitting here using the free internet posting for Rayna.  If you'd like to see what I've been up to you can go to my podcast either look it up on itunes "wit da bit" or go to http://witdabit.blogspot. com and watch.  the WMBF clips, there'll be a new one tomorrow as well.

Anyway, take care for now.....

Conway

We drove through the little town of Conway a few days ago but yesterday Chance and I went back to really explore the place. Conway is a cute little town about 10 miles from Myrtle Beach. If we had to move here for some reason Conway is the place I would want to look for a house. It was originally established in 1732 so they have a lot of history. Plus they are building a wonderful riverwalk that follows the Waccamaw River and winds through the historic downtown. They have also been designated a tree city USA for 22 years. I am not sure what that means but I am going to look it up and get back to you. It was very hot but we walked along the river under the shade trees as long as we could stand the heat. Chance liked the riverwalk and kept trying to put his head through the bars to get down to the water. They were a little far apart so I had to keep a close eye on him. I would love to explore Conway more but I think that is for another trip. This second picture Chance took, I held the camera and he pushed the button. Chance and Deedle and I are leaving tomorrow morning for my family reunion in Kentucky. We won't be able to update until we get back to New Orleans on Monday night since I do not have a lap top and Scott will need to take his with him. He will be back home on Saturday (he's flying) If there is a computer at the hotel I will try to update with words if not with pictures but if not I will talk to you all Monday or Tuesday. Also you can check out a blog I started just for travel stuff for more info on Myrtle Beach. Somewhere Else Travel.

Beach and the Arcade

This morning we went out to the Beach again and wondered around on the old Boardwalk area. This area looks just like the movie Shag. If you haven't seen this movie and you are a girl you should rent it and if you are a boy you probably won't like it but it is a good old school girly movie and so if you are need of one of those one day now you have a good recommendation. They have some gift shops but mostly Arcades, ice cream and snacks and the beach. We started out at a gift shop but there were far too many breakable things inside for us to wonder around freely so we hit the beach but it was hot and we could not stay out on the beach long, then we found the arcade. It was great. We all played games. Scott and I played for skill and Chance played the ones with one big button which he hit with expert timing and we all played for fun. They have old style games that are made from metal and wood with little metal guys that move around. I did not get to take many pictures in there but we plan to go back tomorrow so I will take more then. We had a good time and I think if Chance and I weren't wet from the beach it would have been better, also a reason we plan to go back tomorrow.

RideMakerz

While wondering around on Saturday we ran into a place called Ridemakerz. It is owned by the same company that owns the Build-A-Bear Workshops and if you have ever been there then you will know what I mean when I describe it as a Build-A-Bear Workshop for cars. That's right you get to build your own car from picking out a body to picking out wheels and rims and all the other details as well. Chance loved it from the minute we walked through the door, I dare say Scott was excited as well. Chance started pointing to the cars that are lined up like the bears. He and Scott picked the car and then Scott picked most of the other pieces. There is a little garage area where you put them together with the assistance of a crew member. She gave Chance a little ladder to stand on and he helped her put the car together. He was great doing everything she asked of him. He was very excited to get his car and has not stopped playing with it since. The headlights and taillights light up and it plays music with you push a button on it's hood which Chance does often. I checked the website and they do not have a location in Florida, Oregon or Louisiana so I do not know if we will get back to one any time soon but even though I love Build-A-Bear I think Chance likes Ridemakerz a lot more.

Warbird Park

We went to another great park. We passed by it a couple times because it is between the hotel and doggie daycare. Then we stopped by two days in a row. One day just me, Chance and Deedle then we stopped by again the next day with Scott, he had Saturday off. This is another park built on land that used to be an air force base. The base has not been around since 1990 as I understand but they have built a few nice parks here so at least they are using the land for good things. In this park there are three big planes on display. Chance seemed more interested in the wheels on the planes than the planes himself but another interesting thing about this park is it is built right next to the commercial airport and there is an observation area with benches set up. so you can sit and watch planes take off and land on the runway which Chance liked. Once he saw the planes in the sky he would stop whatever he was doing and look up into the sky to see the planes whenever he would heard one taking off. I think that is the first time he has ever actually seen the planes in the sky. When we cam back with Scott my camera was a little fogged up but you can still see that crazy smile Chance likes to give the camera and Scott walking Deedle. Saturday was a big day for all of us in the morning we went to the Beach in our swimming suits and everything. We did not take any stills but Scott took some video so we will be posting some of that here soon but probably not until we get back home. Chance loved the beach. He liked the water and getting all dirty in the sand. We also liked picking up shells and throwing back into the water. Scott and I walking him out into the waves and lifted him up as the waves came. He giggled and kept taking us back out into the water for more. We found quite a few pretty shells and two shark's teeth. I hope to go back to the beach for some more swimming before we leave. The water here is much nicer than Biloxi, The way the water in Biloxi just sits there with no waves or little movement at all kind of makes me think of stagnant water that you are supposed to stay out of but here there are little waves and shells to collect and it is just nice.

More Parks

We have been really exploring the parks in Myrtle Beach. parks are great, Chance loves them Deedle loves them, they are free and you get the opportunity to get into the neighborhoods and meet local people that you would not be able to in the tourist areas. Today we went to a park on land that used to be an air force base. There is a playground area as well as fields for playing soccer and baseball and a lake with bridges which Chance greatly enjoyed walking over and back over again. In this first picture we are at the top of a hill we had walked all the way to the top of, Chance walked up all by himself. I just spotted him to make sure he did not fall and that was more for my peace of mind than his need. The wind was blowing our hair around when we got to the top.

Eatin Chips

Sorry it has been a few days since I last posted I am going to make a bunch of different posts so you can see what we have been doing the last few days. We got lunch from a place we had never been to before. Schlotski's Deli I am probably misspelling that but if you ever run into one we highly recommend it. They have a drive through but their sandwiches taste better than fast food they are more like deli sandwiches, similar to Arby's Market Fresh sandwiches but a little better than too that I think and you get chips instead of fries. Chance took over the chips. He sat down with the bag and had a grand ole time eating and making a mess. There were chips all on the inside of his overalls when he was done.