LIONS and TIGERS and BEARS........OH MY!!

Over the weekend, all 3 daughter in laws and all 4 grandbabies and I went to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler Texas.  We had a blast!

We went over on Friday and stayed in hotel so we could be first in line on Saturday morning.  That turned out to be a great idea...for when we left, it was getting hot and the people were everywhere.

Friday night, we went to Oliveto Bistro for dinner.  I know this sounds all grandmawsy but these kids are so good and well behaved.  They sat and ate and ate and ate while we got to visit and laugh together!

while enjoying this!

mmmmmmm!  

Before we even got outa the parking lot on Saturday morn, we had already lost this one!

How lucky am I??  Just look at my family!!!

One of our first stops was this....what was KatieJane looking at so intently?

Pink Flamingos!

And of course, we had our own tour guide....Ms. Lilli was in charge of the map and she diligently ordered all of us around to make sure we saw everything!

Lilli telling Hailey all the specifics of the Black Bear

The wonder of a child's view!

One of my favorite parts was the bird sanctuary..where there were 100's of all types of birds that flew around and around and would land right on us.  I,....um, I mean, the kids,,...loved this!!!

We saw giraffes, elephants, zebras, rhinos....and so much more!

and 3 hrs later, we had some tired, but very happy, cousins!!

We loaded them into the car, stopped for mexican lunch and drove 2 1/2 hrs to the deer camp to spend the rest of the weekend with the daddies and cap'n!

Where there was 4-wheeler ridin' and lap sittin' and duck cleanin' to be done!

What a fun weekend we had!!!!

(and shhhhhhh,...for I am unpacking and repacking to spend a few girlfriend days here......!!!)

navarre beach, florida!!

Things that are SMART at the deer camp!!!

SMART WEED.....
smart·weed  (smärtwd)

n.

Any of various marsh plants of the genus Polygonum, having sheathlike stipules and small, densely clustered pink, white, or green flowers.

.

any of several weeds belonging to the genus Polygonum, of the buckwheat family, that have a smarting, acrid juice.

or as the hunters like to refer to this as........."stuff that the ducks love to eat"!!!

but the gals around here just like to look at it cuz it's so purty!!

SMART FOOD.....

those boys love to come in after a hunt and see that Cap'n has made this for them.  Makes them very SMART!!! maybe not heart smart but definitely duck huntin' smart!!!

And well...........let's just all decide how smart these boys are!  They felt very SMART on this morning after a very successful teal hunt!!

and after they cleaned them ..... ready to be wrapped in bacon and put onto grill!  YUM YUM!

(man, oh man......I do love those boys!!)

Really LSU???

It's one thing to lose a game, but to play like a bunch of sissies???  LSU does not usually play like a bunch of sissies.....but on Saturday night?

LSU -29

Mississippi State - 34

Whew......It was ugly.

BUT....

I went to a good friend's house to watch the game with our other buddy.

We have loads of fun together!!  Always!

Toby, middle friend's hubbs, made a huge pot of delicious jambalaya.  And I brought a bottle of wine that I had hidden away since my trip to Italy!

and it was verah, verah tasty!!

So....................even as disappointing as the game was, we still had fun talking, laughing, eating and laughing some more!!

Thanks, Murry's!!

A Boy and His Dog...

During hunting season, there are down times between hunts.  I would say that on this particular day, this boy had a great spot for a time of reflection. And prolly a lil nap!  I think Dixie (the dog!) enjoyed it too!!

....by the firepit on a cloudy afternoon.....

(my boyfriend snapped this one and said he must have been out there for hours!)

We were there, at the deer camp, for a nice night this week..........hard to believe how beautiful the landscape is.....painting a different picture at every season of the year

And look!!!!  Who says the south doesn't have Fall????

Hahahahaha.....looked and looked and this was the only color change I could find!  But hey!  It's only mid September...

Also had a fun day this week with ms sweetcheeks...Lilli!

I picked her up from pre-school with lunch snacks for a picnic in the car on our way to...

She LOVES dophins and I knew she'd love the movie.  She did!!  So did I!!  Sweet Sweet.

Of course, after the movie we just had to go to the Build a Bear store and find a dolphin to build...and since there were 2 main dolphins, Winter and Hope, in the movie, she felt she needed 2 as well!

(what's a YaYa to do........!)

But then we knew we had to have dolphins for ALL of the grandkids,,,,so we ended up with a whole herd of dolphins........and did I mention #5 is on the way??!!!!!!

Then a stop at the ice cream shop and the fountain to throw pennies into...I gave her 4 and her last wish was that "YaYa makes it home safely"!!!!!  OMG.,...how sweet is that????

WHAT a fun day!!!

**sidenote:  in my banner above, the corn and the rice came from our new farmland.....note to self: don't put real corn out in the open for decoration....deer or squirrel or SOMETHING has eaten it all but in true southern fashion, had nice enough manners to leave the husks behind!!!

Let's Do FALL Ya'll!!

It was in the 60's yesterday morning!!!  And it's 68 degrees today!!  It prolly won't last long......but man, oh man...is it ever nice now!!

The Dawn of Another Hunting Season....2014

Literally!

Josh's dad snapped this shot of him this morning as a new day dawned...a new hunting season began...an awakening of some very happy little boys, albeit they are all about 30 yrs old - and one that is twice that old!) to a time of year that is cherished in their hearts.  They have grown up in this world.  They have learned patience and responsibility and love in this world.  They have learned about bonding in this world.

To many that don't understand, this is a passion.  A sport/hobby that has taught my boys so much about life, nature, preservation, and again....passion.

So many look everywhere for a long long time for something to believe in...something to get excited about...something to share with brothers, friends and family ... never to be satisfied.

Yet, these men have only to look to nature...to God's work....to find such passion.

And man, oh man......do they ever do it with gusto!!!

Can you only imagine how many problems can be thought out, re-hashed and solved in an environment like the one above??  Not to mention the sheer beauty of it all!!

Have fun boys!!!  and don't forget to bring Mama home some of those bacon wrapped doves!!!!

Midweek Inspiration....

I kinda love Meryl Streep so when these words from her came across my inbox today, I thought it was worthy to re-print.  To read and re-read when needed!!

(courtesy of Hand Luggage blog)

“I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretence, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.” - Meryl Streep

Pretty right-on for us older gals, eh??!!!!!!