Drive-ins and Horses

For our fifth anniversary Lorne planned a fun and romantic trip. Friday afternoon after dropping Jasmine off at Abuela and grandpa's house, we drove a few hours north to Dillsburg PA to go to a drive-in movie theater. We watched a double feature - The Simpsons movie and Harry Potter. It was so nice, I had never been to a drive-in and we ate junk food and laid in the back of our Pilot! Saturday morning we drove to Gettysburg and did a 3 hour horseback ride with a guide through the battlefields of Gettysburg. One of my favorite things is horseback riding and I really enjoyed it. Our joints hurt after riding and my butt was a bit sore but I loved it. After having an early dinner we drove back home to get our daughter. What a nice surprise!

In the back of the Pilot ready to watch some movies! It was very affordable - $7 a person for 2 movies!

View of the screen from the back of the car!

Mr. Potter!!

Giddy-up!

Union Soldiers!

5 Years Towards Eternity

Five years ago today I married the love of my life. I may have arrived a little late but I was ready to make this eternal commitment to the person I knew I could love forever and who I knew would love me forever as well. I want you all to know why I love this amazing person. Lorne makes me want to be the best woman I can be, the best mother I can be and the best daughter of God I can be. He makes me feel like I can do anything and I know I can if he is behind me. He is smart, insightful and makes me laugh. He is an amazing father to our little daughter and it brightens my life to see him be so gentle and loving to her. Marriage is not always easy, sometimes it seems impossible to oversome the hurdles in the way but Lorne and I come out better people and stronger in our relationship everytime we do. I am so blessed to be able to have him as the one I will walk through eternity with. Lorne, I love you and you make everything better! Yours eternally, Sabrina

There's a Bright Golden Haze on the Meadow

So last Friday night July 20, we left Jasmine in the care of the capable Turleys and went to the theatre with Sabrina's parents and grandmother to see a musical community theatre production of Oklahoma. It is such a fun show and Sabrina's dad's favorite musical of all time. The best part though, was that our fabulous friends Kevin & Cindy Zarcone were in the production and Kevin was Curly (the lead in case you don't know this musical). It was so fun seeing Kevin in the limelight and afterwards we went out to a diner for dessert and fun critiquing of the show. A fun night was had by all even though it meant getting home at 2 AM!

The whole gang after the show!

Cindy & Sabrina

Jasmine's Sandbox

Lorne's actual birthday was Monday July 23 and he wasn't going to be home on accouint of a business trip - one of many for the week. He asked us to come down Sunday afternoon to Virginia Beach and stay overnight until Monday when he had to attend a meeting. Unfortunately, we got a later start than we expected on Sunday afternoon and we didn't arrive at the beach until it was dark and time for Jasmine to go to sleep. Jasmine and I hit the beach Monday morning before we headed home and it was really nice. Jasmine referred to the beach as a sandbox and I thought that was so cute. We played in the water a little bit - Jasmine was still a bit scared of the water. All in all - despite the traffic going and coming we had a nice time and at least got to see Lorne on his actual birthday. Hopefully he will have more meetings there when we can join him again!

Jasmine ready to play in her sandbox!

Our hotel was right on the beach! Oceanfront Hilton

Mommy & Jasmine play in the sand and try to build a castle

After playing in the water Jasmine cuddles in a towel

Lorne's Birthday Party

So here I backtrack a little. We decided to celebrate Lorne's birthday on Saturday July 21 because our schedules are so full it was the only day we could manage it and hope to have our friends show up! Lorne decided that he wanted to have a party at home where we ate Popeyes fried chicken and played a game called Dance Dance Revolution (DDR for short) and then watch a movie. It was a blast of a time and I even made him the ice cream cake (no cakes were harmed in this creation) pictured in the previous post (as many of you know my husband does not like cake). Lorne was also heard exclaim at the end of the party how he had totally made out on the gifts people gave him - and indeed they were all very well thought out and perfect for him. Among the gifts were Andrew Lloyd Webber CDs, casual brown shoes, a DVD to update his navigation system, a book, and a light timer (to be explained by Lorne)! Thanks to all who attended and made the party so much fun!

Lorne's fine stash of gifts!

Jasmine & Ryan Child decided they were also going to join in on the fun while Sabrina played on the DDR mats!Jasmine and Abuela have a go!Lorne & Justin (impressive in a tie!) battle it out!Marcia & Jill make it all look so easy!Do you see the competitive edge in their eyes? Impressive as Shelly is expecting baby number 2 and her husband Matt doesn't just let her win!Matt & Jeff give it a go!Party guests

Happy Birthday My Love!

Happy Birthday Lorne!

You are the glue that holds our beautiful family together!

On July 23 in...

1632 - 300 colonists bound for New France depart Dieppe, France.
1793 - the Prussians conquer Mayence.
1829 - In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the Typographer, a precurser to the typewriter.
1833 - Corner stones laid for construction of the Kirtland Temple in Ohio
1840 - The Province of Canada is created by the Act of Union.
1862 - American Civil War: Henry W. Halleck takes command of the Union Army.
1874 - Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos is appointed the Archbishop of the Portuguese colonial enclave of Goa.
1881 - The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, the world's oldest international sport federation, was founded.
1903 - Ford Motor Company sold its first car.
1903 - Dr. Ernst Pfenning of Chicago becomes the first owner of a Ford Model A.
1914 - Austria-Hungary issues an ultimatum to Serbia allowing the Austrians to find out who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand. When Serbia denies Austria-Hungary their demands World War I is sparked on July 28, 1914
1926 - Fox Film buys the patents of the Movietone sound system for recording sound onto film.
1929 - Fascist government in Italy ban the use of foreign words.
1936 - In Catalonia, Spain, the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia is founded through the merger of socialist and communist parties.
1940 - US Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles`s declaration on the US non-recognition policy of the Soviet annexation and incorporation of three Baltic States - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
1942 - The Holocaust: The Treblinka extermination camp is opened
1942 - World War II: Hitler signed the Operation Edelweiss.
1945 - The process against Philippe Pétain begins.
1952 - Establishment of the European Coal and Steel community.
1952 - General Muhammad Naguib leads the Free Officers Movement (formed by Gamal Abdel Nasser - the real power behind the coup) in the overthrow of King Farouk of Egypt.
1956 - The Loi Cadre is passed by the French Republic in order to order French overseas territory affairs.
1961 - Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) founded in Nicaragua.
1962 - Telstar relays the first live trans-Atlantic television signal.
1962 - The International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos was signed.
1970 - Qaboos ibn Sa’id, becomes Sultan of Oman.
1972 - The United States launches Landsat 1, first Earth-resources satellite.

1972 - Lorne Colin Campbell is born
1982 - The International Whaling Commission decides to end commercial whaling by 1985-86.
1983 - Gimli Glider: Air Canada flight 143 lands "dead-stick" in Gimli, Manitoba.
1984 - Vanessa Williams becomes the first Miss America to resign when she surrenders her crown after nude photos of her appeared in Penthouse magazine.
1986 - In London, Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey.
1988 - General Ne Win, effective ruler of Myanmar since 1962 resigns after pro-democracy protests.
1992 - A Vatican commission, led by Joseph Ratzinger, establishes it is necessary to limit rights of homosexual people and non-married couples.
1995 - Comet Hale-Bopp is discovered and is visibly seen with a naked eye nearly a year later.
1997 - Digital Equipment Company files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.
1999 - Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, is crowned King Mohammed VI of Morroco at the death of his father.
2001 - Megawati Soekarnoputri becomes the fifth President of Indonesia, replacing Abdurrahman Wahid.
2003 - Operation Warrior Sweep is the first major military deployment of the Afghan National Army.
2004 - Eleven years after its destruction, Stari most (the Old Bridge) in Mostar is reopened.
2007 - Dennis Pagan is sacked from carlton Footbal club in Australian Football League

The Jasmine Flower

About a year ago when my grandmother returned from Uruguay she brought back a dried Jasmine flower from which she created a Jasmine tree that now sits on her balcony. She has also now grafted and made several more plants from the first one. She intends on giving it to us to have in our home since she specifically brought it back for our daughter. We are a little afraid however because our track record with plants is not that great - we run about 50/50 - meaning that 50% of our plants die on us. I wouldn't want it to be that special plant. Just the other day she cut off these flowers for us and sent them home with us. They have a most wonderful fragrance and I love having them in my house. So here it is - the Jasmine flower from Uruguay! *There are different varieties of the jasmine flower in different parts of the world - this on is the most beautiful to me and also resembles one of my most favorite flowers, the gardenia!*