Things I Love Thursday: Crocs Flip-Flops

“Hey, are those Crocs? And they’re not bad looking?!”

That’s actually the reaction I’ve gotten to my Crocs flip-flops more than once. And it’s true. They aren’t bad looking!

And even more importantly (unless you’re a shoe person or a fashion person or something like that), they’re super comfortable. And they’re plastic. So they wash off. Which just might be important if your two-year-old daughter likes to find and jump in muddy puddles. While holding your hand and walking next to you.

I got my flip-flops last year at a conference that Crocs sponsored, and I just love them. I really can’t say that enough. As a matter of fact, I wish I could buy another pair, maybe in black or brown.

I’m not the only one in my house who loves her Crocs. Annalyn has worn out her Crocs for the second summer in a row – and we’re only halfway through the season! Poor girl. Her shoes even started out as hand-me-downs from her cousin.

That is why I was excited to see an e-mail from Crocs this week. Normally I ignore the sales flyers and coupons that clog up my inbox, but free shipping combined with a back to school sale? Well, I can’t turn that down.

If you’d like to get yourself a pair of Crocs, you can take advantage of these sales, too. [And yes, these are affiliate links.] You’ll be surprised how comfortable (and cute) they are!

You can get $5 off select products with code BACK2SCHOOL now through August 9, and for the rest of this week, you can get FREE SHIPPING (through July 24).

Oh yeah, those aren’t my exact flip-flops in the photo, but they’re pretty close. I would have taken a picture of my feet enjoying the comfort and cute-ness of my pink and grey pair, but, well, I haven’t shaved in – let’s just say – a few days. And my pedicure is very amateur. Just thank me for sparing you and move on. (And if you think these particular shoes are cute, they’re women’s Capri Suede Sandals in chocolate/bubble gum. And they come in sizes up to 12.

Do you like wearing flip-flops? What about Crocs? Ugly or wonderful? (Or somewhere in between?)

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries.

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Pure imagination

Have you seen the commercial for AT&T that plays “Pure Imagination” while giant paper and crayon characters play in a city? I love that commercial.

You might think, as much as I love – and watch – TV, that I’d have DVR and skip right over commercials. But here’s what you don’t know: I like watching commercials.

There. I said it. I like commercials.

Blame it on my short career in advertising. Or the “see who can count the most billboards” game my mom made up for my brother and me during trips into the city. But whatever the reason, I’m a fan of advertising.

I even subscribe to a few advertising newsletters and blogs.

It’s not like I think all commercials and ads are good. No, they’re mostly garbage. But every once in a while, I see a great commercial and I can’t help but admire the art of advertising.

[I know. I’m weird.]

I had no idea, until I started doing my research for this post, that the song used in the AT&T commercial is from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Probably I didn’t know because I can’t stand that movie.

I think it’s creepy. And yes, I’m even talking about the original, not the Tim Burton version. (I think it goes without saying that anything involving Tim Burton is likely to be on the creepy scale.)

But, there it is. “Pure Imagination” is featured in Willy Wonka and sung – so beautifully – by Gene Wilder.

And speaking of my research . . . I actually found an article that described the exact reaction I have – pretty much exactly how I was going to describe it – to this commercial. Since telling you now would be plagiarism, I’ll just share with you what the article said (emphasis mine).

That's what the AT&T “Rethink” commercial does for me. I can be doing a million other things, but when Gene Wilder's voice starts singing "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I stop whatever I'm doing, look at the TV, and become mesmerized by those child-like drawings springing to life in a busy city. That's exactly what AT&T wants me to do, and it's working, so props to them. (TV Squad)

That says it so well. There’s just something so captivating about this tune, those words and the characters. My favorite part is the pause before he sings “imagination” and “explanation.” Here, watch it:



Click here if you can’t see the embedded video.

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries, Friday Favorites at The Other Mama and Show Us Your Life at Kelly's Korner.

Do you like commercials? What do you think is the best commercial on TV right now?

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I knew the moment she ripped out her feeding tube.

Have I mentioned lately that Annalyn was born seven weeks early? No? Because she was. And I kind of talk about it a lot.

You know why? Because it was a miracle.

And not just the fact that she was healthy, but it was also amazing that she was able to come home so quickly.

Every time I hear about a family living in the NICU with their premature baby for weeks, I’m thankful all over again that Annalyn only had to stay in the hospital for nine days longer than I did.

But part of the strong will that kept her warm and strong and breathing well when she was a teeny tiny baby? Um, yeah. It’s the same darned will that’s driving me crazy two and a half years later!

I am not exaggerating. When Annalyn was less than two weeks old – still weighing barely more than four pounds – she ripped out her own feeding tube.

The NICU nurse said that they wouldn’t put it back in unless she needed it; she said they’d try to give her a bottle. But, she warned me, babies never took the bottle that early. They had to be at least 36 weeks (or in Annalyn’s case, three weeks); something in their little tiny brains just clicked at that point.

Every time, she said. That’s how they all were.

Except my tiny baby. Annalyn started eating from a bottle and never looked back.

That strong will was a good thing back then. A real good thing. And, as a friend recently reminded me, it will be a great thing when she’s 16 and dating.

But right now? At age 2 ½? That strong will drives me cuh-razy!!!

A few weeks ago, I had to take her to choir practice with me. She was great. Except for when she said, “No, Mommy! You no hush me! I no hush!”

Yeahhhh.

I know, I know. Some of it’s typical two-year-old stuff. (And don’t even tell me about how the threes are more terrible than the twos. I may have heard it already. Just a time or twenty.)

But you have to admit. The thought of that tiny baby who pulled her feeding tube out – as a teenager? Kind of scary, right?

Over the next several weeks, the March of Dimes will be holding a walk in a city near you. (Or in your city, you know, if you live in a city.) March for Babies gives hope to the 500,000+ babies born early every year. The money raised by these walks supports programs that help mothers have healthy, full-term pregnancies.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is a cause that’s close to my heart. So when I heard (because they told me) that Famous Footwear is supporting the March of Dimes with a special shoe, I was impressed.

For every pair of Dr. Scholl's "Inferno 2" walking shoes for women purchased, Famous Footwear will donate $5 (up to $500,000).

For a, ahem, related discount and a giveaway, visit my other site.

Have you ever walked in a charity walk? What’s your favorite cause to support?

P.S. I love the March of Dimes and this shoe campaign. Therefore, I'm linking up to Things I Love Thursday and Friday Favorites.

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Meet the Rizers!

Why is it so hard to find good [not annoying] kids’ music?

I’ve mentioned before that Annalyn is sometimes less than awesome when it comes to car rides. Right? Thankfully, I’ve found that making a big deal about playing “her music” while we’re driving makes a difference.

[Sometimes.]

And that means I get the opportunity to listen to kids music – or, even better, kids singing kids music – a LOT.

So when I heard about The Rizers, I was pretty excited. Fun music and Scripture memorization? Yes, please!

The Rizers are a cartoon (ahem, animated) band that sings scripture verses in upbeat, kid-friendly songs. Their mission is to instill in kids a love for Jesus Christ and his Word through scripture memorization and worship.

Never mind my 2-year-old; I need this myself! (KIDDING. We can listen TOGETHER. In the car. All the time. Over and OVER.)

That’s just it, though. You can listen to it over and over. Your kids will love the cute characters, and you can connect with the band on Facebook. (There’s really something for everyone with this group, isn’t there?!)

 You can buy their album, Meet The Rizers, on Amazon, as well as iTunes.

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday and Friday Favorites.

Have you heard of The Rizers? What’s your favorite (I mean, your kids’ favorite – no, I mean your favorite!) kids’ music?

Disclosure: I received a preview of The Rizer's album from their publicity firm.

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It might as well be spring.

Image by ComunicaTI

Yesterday when I walked out of my office into the parking lot at lunchtime, I smelled it. I smelled flowers.

I didn’t see them anywhere. I looked all over the grounds and didn’t see a single bloom. Maybe Mark’s right, and I do have a Super Sniffer.

But it doesn’t matter. I smelled flowers!

And while it means more rain and tornado season and allergies and months closer to shorts season, that glimpse of spring is definitely something I love on this Thursday. For more things to love, visit The Diaper Diaries.

Oh, and tomorrow, that photo up there will show you one of my favorite flowers. (I guess it’s showing you today, but I won’t link up to Friday Favorites at The Other Mama until tomorrow!)

What’s your favorite part of spring? (And bonus points to anyone who can tell me where my post title came from!)

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Poppies and purses and pretties.

One of my favorite parts of Blissdom was meeting some of the people behind the handmade products sold by (in)courage.

Lindsey, Maggie and Lisa are beautiful women who create beautiful products. I love what they do, but more importantly, who they are. They just impress the heck out of me!

Check out what they do:

Lindsey is The Pleated Poppy. I mean, she’s not actually a flower herself. She’s actually a delightful, funny woman. But she makes the cutest little poppy pins, among many other crafty goods.

Lindsey gave me a cute teal poppy pin, but this isn't it.
This photo is from her site.

Maggie is Gussy. And by that I mean, yes, she is Gussy. And Gussy makes lots of pretties with ruffles.

Gussy made a cute, ruffly laptop bag for all the (in)courage writers.
This is her photo.

And Lisa is, well, Lisa. Like the photos she shares on her blog, she is colorful, peaceful and lovely. And, oh yeah, she makes some jewelry.

Lisa made a BLISS necklace for every single person who went to Blissdom.
She's amazing! (And this photo is mine.)

I’m thankful for the gifts these women gave me at Blissdom. But way more than any pretty present, I’m thankful for the chance to get to know these ladies. These artists. These friends.

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries.

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I think I've got the Glee shakes...

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself last night. It was Wednesday, so I should have been camped out on my couch, hands hovering over my keyboard and remote by my side.

It should have been a Glee Night.

For the past few months, see, I’ve watched Glee every Wednesday night, wide-eyed and half-grinning, holding back stupid tears as I listen to those kids sing crazy good harmonies and trying desperately to catch all the funny one-liners for the episode recaps I write for Blissfully Domestic.

It’s impossible, you know. Catching every funny line, that is. There are just too many.

Every week, I’ve sat on my couch, armed with my remote and my laptop, determined to capture the best of Fox’s high school musical show (not to be confused with that other high school musical business on Disney).

But now? Now we have to wait FOUR MONTHS for a new episode. Glee won’t return until April.

And that bums me out.

How about you? Did you watch Glee this fall? Did you like it? What’s your favorite song? Which characters do you like the most? And how sad are you to take a four-month hiatus?!

If you haven’t gotten into Glee yet, here are a few of my favorite quotes from this season:

• They’re going to throw fruit at us, and I just had a facial.
• I’m on my feet four hours a day, three days a week here! Do you see what I have to deal with?
• What’s wrong with me is that you’re freakishly tall. I feel like a woodland creature!
• When I get stressed, I work out. You can probably tell.
• Rachel makes me wanna light myself on fire, but she can sing.
• We’re dealing with children. They need to be terrified. It’s like mother’s milk to them. Without it, their bones won’t grow.
• I know I’m not like the rest of you hippies, caring about the kids’ feelings as if they’re real.
• It’s what I had leftover from my pool cleaning money . . . after I bought dip and numchucks.
• I’m gonna say this as nicely as possible, but you look like a sad, clown hooker.
• My baby bump isn’t that bad. It just looks like I had a big lunch.
• Sometimes being special sucks.

And just to help you make it through any Glee withdrawal during the long, bleak winter, you can read my recaps on Blissfully Domestic (which includes more quotes and a list of songs performed), you can buy volume one and volume two of the Glee soundtracks, and as of this week, you can get the first half of the season on DVD!


[Disclaimer: Yes, if you happen to use any of your Christmas money to purchase these items through these particular links, I will earn a teeny, tiny commission. Maybe even enough to pay for my next giveaway.]

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Heading for the highway...looking for my gas tank?

We bought my car, an Oldsmobile Alero, six years ago. It has been clear to us that it's not the best car ever made in these 50 states for about five years. Mark has hated it for approximately five years. We paid it off just over one year ago.

Despite the rattling and whirring that occasionally popped up and the windshield wipers that only worked when they felt like it and the signal indicator that made its ticking noise even when the blasted blinker wasn't on, it was a decent car.

And by "decent," I mean that it got me from Point A to Point B. Every single time.

Until Saturday, that is. When a piece of metal lay (lie? laid? I don't know.) in wait on the highway, jumping up to attack our gas tank at the most inopportune time.

Or opportune, depending on how you look at it. Because, after what seems like weeks but has only been a few days of dealing with insurance agents, rental car guys, insurance adjusters, used car salesmen and - worst of all - cranky spouses, Mark and I are now the proud owners of a new car.

The very car that we had looked at a month ago but decided we couldn't afford. That's our new car. Well, a new used car. A new-to-us car. A crossover, or as others might call it, an SUV-wannabe. Or, as my dad called it, a station wagon. No matter. It's shiny and it's big and it's ours.

And I think it's going to get better gas mileage than my sad, old Olds.

Here it is. Except, not. Because this isn't the exact car we bought. I mean, it is. But ours doesn't live in the mountains. It lives in the middle of the country. In a suburb. With all the other SUVs and crossovers.

I'm just getting to know it, but so far, I love my new (used) car. I'm thankful that, despite my hopes and dreams for my old car lasting just one more year, God provided for us and moved up our car-buying schedule.

I will try to be just as thankful when the first payment is due in December.

What are you loving today? For more things to love, visit The Diaper Diaries.

You should cut me.

I was real ambitious with my TV-watching schedule. But in reality, life often gets in the way of the best couch potato intentions.

Which is why a small part of me is happy when a show doesn't live up to my expectations and can move from the must-see column to the watch-it-online-when-I-get-around-to-it column.

NCIS: Los Angeles is definitely on its way to that column. And much as I am loving Community and Modern Family, I can watch their 22 minutes anytime. No need to stick to a spreadsheet or schedule.

I thought I was going to add Grey's Anatomy to this list. I really thought I could quit Grey's this time. I watched half of the deliciously ridiculously emotional season premier and then skipped the next week's ep. But I found myself home during the show last week, and I got sucked back in.

I blame Cristina Yang.

Callie's speech to the Chief in the season opener was a little over the top, but enjoyable. "When people want the best, they page me. I've basically been running Dr. Chang's department all year. This is cr--. You're gonna regret this. No! I am excellent. And any other hospital would be thrilled to have me. I'm a superstar!"

I liked that. Yes, the superstar may have been a little bit much. But still - haven't you wanted to make that speech to someone, sometime?

Still. I could have resisted even after that scene. But then I went and watched episode four. You might think that the touching scenes between Meredith and Lexie/Lexie and Thatcher/Thatcher and Meredith are what drew me in.

But, no. It was Cristina's speech to the Chief. (The Chief's having a rough fall, huh?) After being shoved aside, ignored and assigned to grunt work all day (week? month? episode?), she'd had enough. And she let the Chief know.

I have good hands. They're fast, they're dexterous, they were made to throw ties and do complex procedures. These hands were made for surgery. Today they should've been deep inside a heart saving a life. Instead they removed a tick and pumped a p*n*s.

My point? You know what? You should cut me. From the program. You have to make more cuts, and I should go. 'Cause if you can't give me a brilliant cardiothoracic attending who's willing to teach me, then I can't get what I need from this hospital.

Everyone is scared of losing their job, and so am I. But if I can't learn, if I can't use my gift, then I guess that scares me more.

That's my point, sir.

I'm no surgeon. Actually, I have to watch Grey's (and Bones and NCIS and the spy movies I love so much) through my hands, covering up the icky parts of the screen. But I can certainly identify with Cristina. If I can't learn, if I can't use my gift, then I guess that scares me more. Yes, ma'am.

And that is why I can't quit Grey's Anatomy.

Have you been disappointed or pleasantly surprised by any TV shows this fall?

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday. Sadly, this isn't even the first time I've linked a TV post to that carnival. *sigh*

We interrupt this broadcast for an announcement…

I’ve created a schedule for my fall TV viewing.

Not because I have a problem. Not because I watch way too much television. No way, Jose! I did this for you. Only for you, dear readers, would I research the premiere dates and place them into a spreadsheet. I would never do this for my own entertainment.

Right.

Okay, to be honest, I was really tempted to pick up a pen and write down when I plan to watch what show. But I know – I know how crazy that is. So I refrained.

But then I started thinking that maybe you all want to know what I’m planning to watch this fall. I don’t know why. But it’s possible.

And I really don’t want to let you down. So I have created a schedule. You can see it in all its row and column glory here. Or you can read all about my plans in this post. No clicking. No spreadsheets. Just words. About TV.

It’s important, what we have here, isn’t it?

I’m going to start with Monday. Mainly because I don’t watch TV on Sunday. Not live, anyway. (Please note: This is not because I’m all sorts of holy. This is because I don’t watch any shows that air on Sundays. Feel free now to sing the praises of Brothers & Sisters. I know. I hear it’s great. I just don’t watch it.)

On Mondays, I will watch How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory and Castle. Until NBC finally comes to its senses and Chuck returns. Then I will also watch Chuck. HIMYM is a must, as is Chuck (do I have to explain that?). BBT is only if I have time, while Castle is one that I’ll record if I don’t have time.

Sidebar: If you’re just now tuning in (get it – the TV humor?), you should note that I watch my television programs old school. As in, on a low-def TV. Sometimes with a VCR. It pains my husband to no end that we don’t have a fancy-schmancy TV. Such is life. Or something.

Back to our regular programming now. (No, I will not stop with the punny-pun-puns. I can’t. I can’t stop.)

On Tuesdays, I have quite the dilemma. And I blame the networks.

See, those networks, they just can’t get enough of a good thing. And they know – oh, they know that I can’t either. So FOX decided to bring So You Think You Can Dance into the fall schedule, and CBS decided to make a franchise out of NCIS.

I can’t really protest. I mean, what am I going to do – not watch?

My plan is to tape NCIS: The Original and NCIS: Los Angeles and watch them later. That way, I can watch SYTYCD live.

Wednesdays are pretty straightforward. Glee is the only show I’ll definitely watch. Depending on my own schedule (yes, Virginia, there is life outside of TV), I might watch the SYTYCD results show. Or I might not. Also, I’ve read good things about ABC’s new show, Modern Family, so I’ll probably check that out online.

Don’t even ask me when. I have no idea.

Thursdays are complicated, and for this, I blame the church. I’m kidding! I kid; I’m a kidder. But seriously, I have choir practice on Thursday nights, so I have to be real strategic-like about my TV viewing. Throwing another wrench into this mess is the fact that I’m just not sure I can handle another season of Grey’s Anatomy.

So, my plan is now to tape Bones and watch it after choir. I’ll watch The Office and Community (a new show starring Chevy Chase and Joel McHale from E’s The Soup. Seriously.) online. Sometime. Later.

And I just don’t know about Grey’s. I just don’t.

Fridays are a VCR night. I originally planned to watch two hours of (recorded) NCIS here, but then I realized two things. First, I’ll need to tape Psych (and White Collar, when it takes over that time slot). Second, Smitty comes over to hang out on a lot of Fridays. And while I do blame her mother for my love of NCIS, Smitty may not actually want to spend her Friday watching my favorite Navy procedural.

I don’t know what I’m going to do about NCIS. It is a problem.

And that’s it. Although saying “that’s it” seems to imply that “it” isn’t a lot. And I think we can all agree that is A Lot.

So – what shows are you watching this fall?

If you need help deciding, you can check out a full schedule at TVGuide.com, and you can watch previews for all your options on YouTube.

And to state the obvious, this post illustrates my love of the television and will, therefore, be linked to Things I Love Thursday.

But wait, there’s more.

Something strange has happened. And I'm not talking about the interview I heard this morning of Paris Hilton wishing she could be more like Princess Diana. Or something.

No. I'm talking about a dessert Mark has found that I quite enjoy – one that does not have an ounce of chocolate in it.

You heard me. None. That means said dessert is not and does not contain brownies or chocolate chip cookies or chocolate pudding or chocolate cake or a yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting or graham crackers with chocolate frosting or a chocolate pudding pop or a chocolate cake in a mug thing.

[Side note: Oh my goodness, not that you need further proof of my nerd-dom, but if you keep watching the Bill Cosby videos on that link, it will show a commercial for a Speak and Spell. I loved my Speak and Spell! I wish I still had one today! Okay, maybe not. But I can’t wait to get Annalyn started on nerdy toys like that.]

Back to our regular programming now. Back to dessert.

Oh yes, this mysterious non-chocolate dessert even contains . . . wait for it . . . fruit!

I know. I couldn’t believe it myself.

This summer, we are really loving Blue Bunny’s Double Peach Ice Cream. Usually fruit-flavored food has that not-necessarily-bad-but-not-necessarily-good artificial taste. But not this tasty treat! Honestly, it tastes like good vanilla ice cream (not the cheapo kind we usually buy) with fresh peaches.

I’m not even kidding.

[Also, side note #2, I’m not saying this because I got the ice cream for free or anything. It’s just good and we like it. Not that we wouldn’t take free ice cream. Because we would. Oh, we would.]

So, if you’re looking for a new summer sweet or if you happen to be one of those people who prefers fruity desserts over chocolate ones, I say try this one out. And, not to be overly dramatic or late-night informercial-ish, but you should probably do it soon. Mark says it’s a limited time special or something, so who knows how long it will be in stores.

And if you call now, they’ll throw in a set of Ginsu knives, too.

What's your favorite summertime treat? Or, if you like, dessert in general?

This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday.

Did you say photos? Vacation photos?

Well, since you asked.

Seriously, I found out after posting the link to Flickr that you have to sign in with a Yahoo account. And since not everyone has that, I figured I'd better put the pictures on here.

I wouldn't want you all to revolt. Or protest. Or whine. Oh, please don't whine as you beg for just a peek at my 367 vacation pictures.

Brace yourself. Here they come. (A few dozen. Not 367. I promise.)

A flamingo was just waking up as we entered Sea World on Monday.

I don't remember where this was in Sea World. But it sure was purty.

Yay! The dolphin show! Or, as we found it to be: the dolphin and people and birds show. Seriously, we didn't expect the acrobats and birds, but they were all incredible (if a tad bit cheesy).

Would you laugh if I told you that I cried during the Shamu show? Because, um, I totally did. Mark mocked the sappy "Believe" theme, and I can't deny that it was a bit over the top. But I'm a sucker for sap, I guess. (Oh, please, who am I kidding? This is not news.)

On a side note, the Shamu show is also where we thought we lost our video camera. When we went to pack the camera on Wednesday, we couldn't find it anywhere. We just knew that it had fallen out of my purse (stupid hobo bag) or been snatched. I sat on hold with Sea World for half an hour, only to learn that no, nobody had turned our camera into Lost & Found. Thankfully (thank you, God!), it was just buried in the backpack. Still not sure how it got there . . . but I don't even care. I'm just so glad our camera (and videos of Annalyn) didn't disappear.

Back to the pics.

What, you thought I went to Florida to take pictures of palm trees?

My friend Kevin told me about Celebration, Florida, a planned town built by Disney. Unfortunately, we planned to check it out on our beach day. The one where it rained a lot. What we saw from the car, though, was beautiful.

I think this is self-explanatory? Unless, like me, you don't know what Downtown Disney is. So, I guess I should explain after all. Just in case. Downtown Disney is essentially an outdoor Disney mall. It's a strip of stores and restaurants, and it may or may not include Pleasure Island. I wasn't quite sure. But I am sure that it was a lot of fun. We didn't actually go to any of the Disney parks, so I was glad to get a little bit of time in the world of Mickey. (After all, we needed to buy a Mickey shirt for Annalyn somewhere!)

This would probably be a good time to tell you about the ferry adventure we had on the way home from Downtown Disney. But . . . no. I think I'll save that one for later.

Do you see this? My brownie sundae? It was ridiculous. That's about all I can say about it. We tried to eat a light dinner (this was an unsuccessful venture, since we ate dinner at a delicious pizzeria), because we'd heard about Ghiradelli's ice cream shop at Downtown Disney. Don't worry - we walked off at least a tenth of the calories we ingested as we shopped. But it was sooo worth it!

I was real excited to visit the Lego Store. I'm not sure why. It was pretty cool. But I'll admit: we were darned tired by the time we reached it. So I snapped a few (a lot) photos, and we headed home.

Well, we tried to head home. But like I said, I'll tell you that story later.

More Legos.

I have never wished more that I had a good camera phone with e-mail capabilities. Because I would have Twitpic-ed this for sure. As this motorcycle passed us, I noticed the couple was not wearing helmets. But before I could even open my mouth to start my usual rant about stupidity and helmet laws and all that, I saw the milk crate on the back of the bike. With a DOG in it. A dog! And that dog didn't have a helmet. Or a seat belt. Or anything to keep it safe! I was appalled! I wanted to call PETA! Or the police! Or the Ghostbusters!

But instead, I asked Mark to speed up a little so I could take a picture.

On Tuesday, we drove to Clearwater. I'd read all about the incredible sunsets, the white sand, the dolphin cruises. What I didn't read about was the thunderstorm that covered most of Florida that day. We kept hoping that we'd outrun the storm, and for a couple hours, we did. But it never really got sunny, and halfway through our walk on the beach, it started raining again.

Fortunately, I was prepared. With a big black umbrella in my purse. I'm not sure who looked more silly - Mark, trying to do his best Baywatch run back to the car, or me, sauntering along the sand, proudly holding my umbrella with a broken spoke.

But you know what? We still had fun. We drove down the coast (or was it up? I forget.) and found a great Italian restaurant in Tampa and overall, had a great day.

The Gulf in Clearwater. Can you see the sun shining? Wayyy back in the corner there?

Our little bathing beauty.

On Thursday, we drove north to meet my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and our sweet baby who we hadn't seen in four days. And I'm not quite sure who was more excited - her or us!

The second we set her down on the sand (after a picnic lunch and lots of sunscreen for her and me - except my back, which is officially peeling today), she plopped down on the towel and popped that leg up in the air like some sort of beach model.

I have no idea where she learned such a thing.

Annalyn was excited to see us, but she loved spending so much time with her A-ee and Bompa (otherwise known as Allie and Grandpa). I think she's gone into withdrawal since we came home!

What is this? (I promise, several of us were within arm's reach. I just cropped us out.)

Once she got used to the warm ocean water and the gritty sand, Annalyn was perfectly happy to sit in the ocean and let the water rush over her as she played with her bucket.

So happy that she pitched quite a fit when it was time to go. But who wants to talk about that?

After all, who would believe this happy girl would throw a fit?

Oh, how I wish I'd had my camera handy when that happened, though. My sweet daughter, who hasn't sucked her thumb or pacifier for about 18 months, curled up in the fetal position, stuck her thumb in her mouth and sobbed her little heart out.

All because I didn't want her to get sunburned.

(Did I mention that I forgot to put sunscreen on my back that day? And that I had to go buy a loofah on a stick at Target today?)

Ahem.

Annalyn would not tolerate the very cute and comfy (cloth) floaties we bought specifically for this trip. She did, however, put up with the baby floating ring that - as we discovered a couple days later - was built for babies a few pounds lighter than her.

For a baby who loves taking baths, she wasn't all that impressed with the swimming pool. She was a little more energetic the day we swam in the afternoon, but the morning swims? Not so exciting, I suppose.

Long story short, my great uncle - who we went to visit - ended up in the hospital on Friday. So while my parents spent the afternoon visiting him, we went with my brother and sister-in-law to visit the only plantation open to the public in Thomas County: Pebble Hill.

It was beautiful, and even though it was blazing hot that day, we had the chance to take some great pictures on the grounds. (Kids under 6 weren't allowed in the main house, so we wandered around outside - and enjoyed the air conditioned snack shop - while James and Lauren toured the house.)

When my mom called the hospital to find out what was going on with my uncle, she found out that the lady working the information desk was from Pavo, the same small town my great-grandad (my mom's grandad) was from. As a matter of fact, she taught at the elementary school - and taught my aunt way back in the day. Later that afternoon, when Mom and Dad were at the hospital and trying to track down my uncle, the security guard went the extra yard to find him because he knew him, too.

So, as we chatted with the info guy at the plantation while we waited for James and Lauren to finish their tour, I thought I'd give it a shot. I told Mr. Taylor how we were in town visiting my great-uncle and great-aunt, but that my uncle had gotten sick and went to the hospital. I told him their names, and he said, "Oh, yeah! We're in a club together. We went on tours together!" Turns out "a club" was Kiwanis Club, and tours had something to do with their church. So as we waited and finally stopped sweating, we swapped stories about who in our family and his cheats while playing cards.

"Small world" deosn't even begin to describe that place.

We didn't see a sign saying not to climb on the ancient carriages. So we took full advantage of the old-fashioned photo opp.

"Are you finished taking pictures yet?"

Sorry, baby, no.

This photo was taken at the plantation, not on the plane we took home. But if you can imagine taking this face, adding some hysteria and lots of ear-splitting screams? Well, then you might be close to imagining what the passengers of our TINY (34 passenger) plane between Tallahassee and Memphis endured.

Reportedly, Annalyn was an angel for my parents on the flight down. And I am so thankful. Honestly, I really had to pray myself down from overwhelming anxiety about the whole leaving my daughter and she's going to fly without me thing.

But my, oh my, I probably should have spent some of that time praying for our flight home. Because the first hour of the first flight? Complete torture - for Annalyn, for us, for the other passengers and for the kind flight attendant.

It was so bad the flight attendant moved us from the back of the plane to the front. It was so bad that not only was my body covered in sweat (I get sick when flying and did I mention the turbulence?), but I also ended up sobbing myself. It was so bad that the pilots could hear her through the door and sent ear plugs back for the other passengers.

It was bad.

But we survived. And I promise you, we will nev-er fly with a toddler again, barring any life and death emergencies, of course.

And that, is the end of my vacation photo show. Hope you enjoyed it. I know I did!

And now that I see Jill is saying she loves vacation (as I do, obviously), I'm linking up to her. Go check out Things I Love Thursday!