Updating Blog

I just was going through some different backgrounds for my blog. What do you think? I hope it is nice looking on your end. I think it worked.

Today is a nasty rainy day! Everything is super green! I do enjoy the colors outside.

Jade is home and we are all being lazy and enjoying our inside day. Though we wish it was a little nicer so we could go outside and do some gardening things.

Jade and Melina are feeling a bit better. I think it will catch Olline next. She said her nose is stuffy today. Aaaaahhhh!!! I don't like sickness!

I pray all of our families days are great!

Happy 17th birthday to Jeriah!!!!!!! We love you. I can't forget to say Happy Birthday to our Auntie Darla, I know it was yesterday, but we are posting your wishes today! :)

Titanic

I wanted to share of few photos of our Titanic The Experience in Orlando, FL! It was so fun. So sad and alway touches our hearts.

I do not claim to taking some of these photos. I got a lot of them off The Experience Site and others. Mine didn't turn our so well with dark lighting in the rooms.

1st class: 325 total - 199 saved

2nd class: 285 total - 119 saved

3rd class: 706 total - 174 saved

crew: 913 total - 214 saved

Approx. Total passengers on the Titanic: 2,229

Only 713 saved

These numbers are not exact...according to research we do not know for sure the exact numbers.

However, it is still a chilling thought! To put yourself on that ship and try to feel what they must have felt.

More Survivors and a lifeboat tipped over

Titanic waiting for it's voyage!

Survivors of Titanic in lifeboat meeting the Carpathia

Real deck chair from Titanic!

Actors of the Titanic Experience on deck of ship

Wireless operator room!

Titanic Perisian Room

They had the costume Leonardo DeCaprio wore on the Titanic Movie (my photo)

Entry Sign of the Titanic The Experience (my photo)

Old Pictures

1944 My Grandad

7-27-1978 Me...Diana.

May 1978 Jen and Diana at Grammys house on lawn chair!

Better Week

Today we woke up to a beautiful morning! There are some clouds that look like they want to rain on us. However, most of the morning has been nice and sunny!
Last night Melina was able to go and stay the night at her friend Emily's house. Even on a school night! We are expecting her home any minute and then she has to start schooling.
I just can't believe school is almost over. We are suppose to be done on June 9th, but with me learning this new school system, we are a little behind, so I plan to be done by the end of June. With taking a big vacation we are a little behind. I think that next year will go a lot smoother, now that we all know how this system works! What a year!

Pray for Jade's job and work environment. A lot of things are going on up there. I have confidence that Jade will be fine, but you never know what will happen. God always has a plan for us and we have faith in that.

So I leave you with a few photos! First one is of Meme and Olline standing with Mickey's magic Brooms, then we are all in San Fransisco, I got Jade and Girls walking in San Fransisco, then we have the Pirates in Jail at Pirate of the Caribbean! Love you all and God Bless.

Tired and can't snap out of it!

Baboon carved in the Tree of Life!

Melina and her dad in the bird exhibit in the Animal Kingdom

Mom and Diana with King Louie and Baloo

Epcot center

Papa and Olline at Bob Evens restaurant

Well it has been five days now that we have been home from our big Orlando, FL vacation! I am suffering with Post vacation syndrome or Jet Lag! I have been so tired and I just can't snap out of it! HELP! I am having a hard time waking up! I am having a hard time functioning for my girls schooling! What do I do? My brains are so mushy, they are not working! I am going to try and get some school done. It may be just one subject, but I need to school our girls!

Our trip however, was fantastic! I couldn't have asked for a more incredible time! We were all healthy and ready to take on all the parks Disney and Universal has to offer. We did Animal Kingdom and Epcot the first day. Animal Kingdom is so spectacular! I think I could have stayed there for a couple days. In the center of it, is their beautiful "Tree of Life". It is HUGE! Huge with gorgeous carvings of animals in it. When I first saw it, it just brought tears of joy to my heart! I couldn't believe I was there getting to experience it all. Underneath the Tree of Life we saw a 4D movie on "Bugs Life"! It was awesome! We also saw a live Finding Nemo Musical show. I suppose I could be here typing all day with the adventures we had, but I will only touch on a few, since I need to teach my girls!

Later we went to Epcot center to see the big orb ball. We did a few rides there and by that time it was late and we needed to catch our van ride back to our vacation home. It was 10:30pm.

The next day we did Magic Kingdom, were all your dreams come true. Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, plus so much more. Cinderella's castle is amazing! We tried to see it all, but I think you need about 3 weeks to do that! Oh, did I mention the weather was perfect and HOT! It was HOT! Did I say HOT? Yes, it was HOT...86-90 all week and humidity was ok. For us Washington and Idaho families we were feeling the heat and humidity! Ouch!

So the third day we headed to Disney Hollywood Studios (known as MGM Studios). It was fantastic. We first saw the Beauty and the Beast live mucsical, very good. This is where we did the Tower of Terror! Weeeee, I think it was my favorite! There was so much to see there. We did the Rockin Rollercoaster...Jade's Favorite! They had the famous Chinese Theater ride with movie themes within! So cool. Toy Story ride in 3D was there, totally interactive!

Well, for the fourth day, Jade had to leave early to head to California for a meeting. We missed him so much. It felt like a piece of us was missing! However, that day we all went to Universal Studios. It's a whole other ball game! The street are so fun to look at. All with old buildings and set ups to make you feel you are in another time! We went in the I Love Lucy exhibit and then later they were there to sign our autograph books and take photos. Marilyn Monroe was there too! One of the rides we went on was the Revenge of the Mummy. It is a visual interactive type ride, but what we didn't realize was that it was a serious roller coaster! Well, Olline nor Melina like roller coasters! It scared Olline so bad. I had to hold her head during the ride and yell at her "you are okay!". It was over and I think she hated that one! I love it! One of the FAVORITES for all of us was the E.T. Adventure! We could have rode that one over and over and over! So fun! We did M.I.B (Men in Black movie) ride! Another interactive, "shoot the aliens" type ride. We did that twice! FUN! We did the Terminator 2 3D show, very awesome! We did Shrek 4D, and theater type interactive show! Very fun! We also did the Twister (tornado) show. It freak Olline out, and she even tried to run away. But she was fine...she just mentally scared herself I think! Both the girls had to know the details of all the rides before they decided to go on them or not! Very interesting! So, I think that was the full fourth day!

On to the fifth! We headed over to the other side of Universal to "Islands of Adventure"! It was so hot that day! Mom and Olline looked like they would have heat strokes during some of that day! Scary. The first ride mom and I went on was the HULK coaster! I had a headache and boy oh boy that ride hurt! It made mom get a headache! OUCH! We did the Spiderman ride, Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw falls ride (yuck, dad and I did this one and it was yucky, dirty and we barely fit in the log seats), Jurassic Park River ride (our favorite and Olline did it, not Melina, and she loved it), Poseidon's Fury tour interactive show, we spent a lot of time in the Seuss Landing area with all Dr. Seuss stuff! Oh and I can't forget seeing the new Harry Potter park! It doesn't open till next month, but you could see a lot of the outsides! It was spectacular! So beautiful! WOW! I think I typed more than I should have! But our days never ended. We even went back to Universal Studios to ride E.T. again that fifth day! Melina even liked the Woody Woodpeckers roller coaster there, and then we went to the Simpsons Ride coaster to end it all off! WOW!

I have to say that the Lake Buena Vista suite we stayed at was awesome. We each had our own room! Mom and dad had their king size bed, jacuzzi tub, shower, closet, and TV. Jade and I had the same! The girls had their room with two twin beds and TV, plus their own bathroom! It had a full kitchen, living room and TV and dinning table! So wonderful!

Well I guess we did a sixth day! We went to the Titanic The Experience Exhibit! SO WONDERFUL! They took us on a tour like you were really on the big Titanic! So full of history! We could have stayed there all day! Check it out at http://www.titanictheexperience.com/

We eventually got on our plane back home around 5:50pm! It is a long flight and it felt great to be heading home!

It was so nice the seventh day to visit Grammy and Grandad! I miss them so much. We even when to visit our other Meme and Boppa and the Avellaneda family! We love them all!

So now you know why I am so tired this week. I think from spinning on the coasters, the heat, the plane ride and time zone changes, it has taken me all week to recover!

I will try and post a few photos! I love you all and hope your day is a fantastic one! God Bless.

PS...I tried to post more photos, but for some reason it isn't letting me at this moment! I will try later!

Shhhhhhh SURPRISE!

5-6-10 Chowder is a little sleepy!

I am feeling tired today. So much going on here in the Smith home. I hope that I am not getting sick. My eyes feel heavy and I have zero energy! I need my energy and I am asking for all the prayers I can get...since we are planning a huge trip to Orlanda, Florida this next week!

It is a gigantic surprise to the girls! I shouldn't even be writing this now, for Someone may be reading over my back! We won't tell them until we get to the airport on Sunday the 9th!

I just can't believe it is all happening now! So quick. I have been trying to get this house ready and clean for our new house sitter (Rachel). I am not ready and even if I am not, I know that the Lord will be with us all every step of the way!

Mothers Day weekend coming also!

To our moms:

We love you soooo much. You are our angels and without you and your love we would not be the people we are today! We owe so much of ourselves to you! You have done a beautiful job on raising your children and supporting your grandchildren. We know that God will have many rewards for you in heaven! You are special women and not a day goes by were we are not thankful for you! We think of you daily, even if we are not together physically! In spirit we will always be connected and so we are thankful for that! We pray your days will be full of love and appreciation for you! We love you! We miss you! We are so grateful for you! You are our mothers! Thank you for all you have done for us and those around you. You are such great roll models and examples of our Lords love! Bless you and Keep you! Happy Mothers Day!

We love you all. We pray our Lord will be protecting you as I know He is protecting us!

LOVE YOU and GOD BLESS!