Beach pictures

These were taken with my phone, so they aren't high quality at all, but I love them anyway. Sean, Bren, Erin and I took a ride down to Clearwater Beach last weekend while Brian was golfing. We looked for shells for a bit, and then had pizza on the beach. It was a beautiful sunset (as usual), and I enjoyed being with my three babies. Bren refused to let me take his picture.

He got it

Another successful year for Sean in regards to getting the new iPhone on the day of release.

Sean's new phone

He arrived at the mall last night at about 10pm, and there were about 100 people there by then. Throughout the night and morning it got crazy, and by the time I arrived there this morning at 6:45am the line went down one side of the exterior of the mall, and then completely down and around another side. When I arrived Sean and his buddies from the night were next to go inside to the lines that were formed there.

The line of people next to go inside to the line in the building.

And then THE line. This went all the way down the side of the mall and around the corner.

Sean (second from the right in the white t-shirt, sipping a drink) and his line buddies just before we got to go inside. The woman in white was a journalist for a local paper.

Once inside we got to stand in line for another two hours.

The "golden ticket". This was a guarantee of a phone! They were passed out in the line early in the morning.

Finally, success! We were in, and left shortly after with Sean's new iPhone 4.

Sean playing with one of the display devices while our rep went to get a new device from the back.

I have to admit, it is pretty, but then again I'm a nut when it comes to Apple products. For all of those naysayers who have nothing but negative things to say about those who choose to go stay out there all night for "a silly gadget"...POO ON YOU! I say if someone is passionate about something and has the means to get it then GO FOR IT! Sean saved the money on his own, and paid every penny of the phone, activation, and early cancellation on his previous line. I'm proud of him for wanting something and having the motivation and desire to go after it. Besides, it means that I get to play with it until I get mine in August!

The new iPhone

Remember when Sean spent the night at the mall last year to get the new iPhone 3GS? Well, he's back there again tonight. The new iPhone 4 comes out tomorrow morning at 7am, so he is there in line to ensure that he has the new one on the first day again. There are already about 200 people in line, and it's still early. The majority of the people arrive between 2-6am. I'll be up there at 7am with him as he goes in to get his phone, and I'll get another picture like I did last year.

Commissioners meeting

Today we all attended a public hearing with the county commissioners to speak about a proposed park in our area. There were over 300 residents in attendance, and Sean took it upon himself to speak to the commissioners on the proposal. I was so proud of him for standing up and speaking, and for being involved.

By the way, the park was approved, and it's going to be amazing. There will be 10 baseball fields, 3 football fields, an indoor soccer field, tennis courts, lacrosse field, a playground, and a 6,000 square foot sports bar/restaurant. We can't wait!

Another poem from Erin

I'm not allowed to share the entire poem (per Erin), but my favorite part of her poem to her dad was a line that reads:

"He is like the heart of a sweet wind" (referring to her dad)

This girl loves to write, and I love to read what she writes.

Father's Day 2010

We had a pretty low key day, but it was nice. The kids and I took Brian to Island Way Grill (my favorite place for brunch). Afterwards, we came back home, and I snuck in a nap before hitting the books for an exam tomorrow. In the meantime Brian fell asleep on the couch, so Erin did art on the table next to him, Sean watched tv, and Bren worked on his goped. After we got our butts up I got back to studying, and Brian went across the street to golf.

Happy Father's Day to Brian, Dad (Larry) and Tony.

Red, White and Blue

I adapted the recipe that I use for the White Chocolate Fruit Tart from Taste of Home, and used fresh raspberries, blueberries, and miniature marshmallows to decorate in a circular pattern. The filling is a mixture of white chocolate and cream cheese.

Friday Night Bowling

After the lemonade and cookie sale we headed out for a night of bowling with Sean, Bren, Erin, and four of their friends (Kaley, Ashley, Dalton, and Taylor). We bowled from about 8:30-11:15pm, and by the time we left they were exhausted. We always have a lot of fun bowling!

Minus one of the girls in this picture (she ran to the game room "real quick" before they started.

Lefty Brendan.

Kaley, Ashley, and Erin.

Erin actually scored above 100 in one of her games, and she got so excited. It's been a goal of hers for the last couple of times she's gone.

Lemonade and Cookie Sale 2010

This is Erin's second lemonade and cookie sale to benefit the American Cancer Society. She gets so excited to raise money for charity, and never once asks to keep the money for herself. She was so proud to tell each person that stopped where the money was going (even though the signs that they held up stated the purpose of the sale).

At the end of our street. The girls were taking a break, and Bren stopped by to see how they were doing.

The three girls with homemade Snickerdoodles, peanut butter blossoms, chocolate chip cookie bars, M&M cookies, and pink and yellow lemonade.

She had the help of two of her friends from our neighborhood, and they managed to stay out for about 2.5 hours before they were "too tired to hold up the signs".