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| Scott with his beautiful sister, Katherine |
Rain, Rain, Go AWAY! It's been so difficult to plan anything this summer without our parade getting rained on. From Jett's 1st birthday washout, to Joel's canceled birthday celebration at the water park, to our weekend warrior home improvement projects, and, not to disappoint, the rain has yet again ruined our outdoor plans for Katherine's weekend visit. Our day soaking up the sun at the beach may have been called off, but we've managed to pull off an enjoyable and entertaining visit all the while. Friday we arrived at Grandpa's around 11:30am, to huge smiles and warm hugs. Everyone was excited to see each other, most for the first time. Our first meeting with Jacob (6) & Sophia (9). And their first visit with all the boys! J & S are so sweet and friendly, you'd thought we've all known one another for years, a sentiment Sophia even shared with us toward the end of our trip. They were immediately drawn to Jett, but who isn't? They were/are so good and gentle with him. Jake especially loves to listen to him babble and tries to understand what he's saying. Sophia is 9 going on 19, so eloquent and forthright in her speech, or as the boys would describe her "mature". She's as sweet as she can be (just like her mom) and "Jakers/Bakers/Bacon", as his mom jokingly refers to him, is full of energy and life, with his Tae Kwando moves (to secret to be displayed) and his ghost story telling (only to be heard by ages 10 & up).
We ate some delicious turkey sandwiches for lunch and settled into each others company. Around 3pm we headed out for a little pre-dinnertime fun. We made our way to a local mini golf/go cart place. Janet, Jett, and myself found a shady spot to stand as we cheered on the family go cart race. Kat in car one, followed by Jordon, Joel, Jared, Scott with Sophia, and George with Jacob. It was hot and humid, but lots of fun.
Afterwards, we headed to the Beau Rivage casino to check out their plush Arcade room, a truly beautiful place. Fun was had by all! George & Janet took out some robots, the kids loaded up on tickets, and I chased Jett around. The boy loves to explore, everywhere we go! I did sneak in a moment at the Scoops gelato shop next door for one, delicious scoop of Almond (with sprinkles) gelato, with Jett as my date, of course. Around 5:30pm we rushed to valet to retrieve our vehicles and get back to Grandpas for dinner. Dinner prep took a little bit longer than expected, but was worth the wait. Grilled burgers and Grandpa's famous Mac & Cheese was on the menu. Everything was delicious. By 9:30pm we were all ready for bed, so we headed back to our Palmetto Suite at the Oak Shade Inn, the perfect place to rest our weary heads. The Inn is quaint, clean, comfy, and charming. Also, located conveniently near two parks, a splash park, and the beach, all of which we will not have time to enjoy on this trip, unfortunately, but plans are already in the works for another visit. It's a great place to get away to, near family, and not too far from home.
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| The view from my bed |
Saturday morning we awoke with plans to head to a nearby water park for the day. Our original plans of taking the boat out to Ship Island were cancelled due to the boat needing repair. We got our swim attire on and loaded into the car. Grandpa called just as we were leaving to tell us to meet them at McElroy's for breakfast, but they would be another 20-30 more minutes, they were still getting ready. We decided to head on over and wait. I was in desperate need of my coffee fix, so we decided to walk to the Hard Rock casino next door to check it out and find some COFFEE. It's a really ROCK'N place! All was well when we entered and the Starbucks sign came in to view. By the time we got our coffees the rain showed up and it poured. We walked back and the rest of the fam had already made it to a table. The food was just okay, pancakes, french toast, eggs, etc. The kids went out to explore the balcony along the dock of the bay and we followed. We unknowingly broke the rules and fed the begging seagulls some leftover beingets. With a high chance of rain all day, it was
decided we'd go back to the Beau Rivage, later that day, and see Funambula, a circus attraction. First, we returned to change into some non-swimming clothes, then chilled at Grandpa's while we waited for show time. The show was a lot of fun, cool acts, loud music. I was surprised how enthralled Jett was by it all, kept him entertained. Jett peed on me, so we missed the last few minutes of the show getting cleaned up in the bathroom. Around 5pm we left and met everyone at Outback for dinner. Dinner was good and I enjoyed chatting with Kat. Trying to fulfill Jett's desperate desire to walk around, Jared and I went outside while those who ordered desserts indulged. Surprise! It was raining. Jett assumed he was at the splash park and proceeded to walk under the water dripping off of the overhang. He smiled, laughed, shivered with a chilled delight, and had a blast as he got soaking wet. We just stood there and laughed with him. Everyone started filing out and chuckled in surprise as they saw Jett enjoying his own water park. What a fun, exhausting, special time we've been having with our sweet family. We're all so blessed to be able to have had this time together. As I lay here recalling the events of the last two days, it's been storming outside for the past two hours. We have one more day planned together and I wish we could have more. Tomorrow morning we'll pack up our items (I feel like I just unpacked), and say goodbye to our suite, for now. Not goodbye, but hopefully, see you again soon. The plan is to head into New Orleans for a day of being tourists in the city. Tonight my prayer is the rain will grant us one day of sun, long enough to enjoy our last moments of family time together. Rain or Shine, we'll cherish them.
Sunday was HOT but sunny!! We packed up and said goodbye to our cozy home away from home around 9am. We stopped to gas up and grab a cup of Joe, then headed to Gramps. Once the fam loaded up we hit the road, New Orleans bound! Once there, we parked and walked, and walked, and walked some more, baking in the Nawlins heat and dripping with sweaty goodness.
Took in the sights, shopped a little, and made our way to Dragos for a little pre-lunch snack. Grandpa finally met his match with his daughter, only oyster loather he hasn't been able to convert with a charbroiled oyster. We soaked up some last few minutes of air conditioning and headed back toward the cars. Next we had a delicious lunch at Coyote Blue in Metairie. Our time there was bittersweet, for we would be parting ways afterward and our time with the Schroeder's would be coming to a close. We lingered after the meal talking, playing, laughing, not wanting to let go. Finally, it was time to say goodbye. There were long hugs and heartfelt tears, it was hard.
What a blessing this weekend has been to all of us, a time we will remember and hold on to til we meet again and make more fun memories, for in time I'm certain we will.
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| Fun Times! |
