Wedding Photo's FINALLY!

From left to right: Emma (Clayton's Daughter), Ivy (Chad's Daughter) Cole (Chris's oldest Son), Holly, Leah (on lap-Clayton's Daughter), Kylie (Chris's Daughter), Gage (behind- Chris's Son), Baleigh (mine), Thor (mine)

The Whole Zimmeran, Nielsen, and now Rhoe Family

First Family Picture in a While

Not the best lighting but a genuine smile

Baby Pork Chop

We have been researching dogs that will fit into our lifestyle for some time now and had decided that an English Bulldog was the perfect fit for our family. They are fiercely loyal to their families while being great with kids, after the puppy stage they are pretty laid back low energy dogs (just like ME!), they love to eat, hang out and cuddle.

I have been in contact with several breeders learning what I could about the breed and finally settled on a breeder in northern Oklahoma. They had advertised a little girl puppy about a month ago but that had the sweetest face. Unfortunately by the time we committed to buying her she was already purchased. This past week I was checking out their website again and THERE SHE WAS! She was significantly less expensive because her previous buyer had fallen through and now she was past the prime puppy stage. We discussed it and called them the next day. We arranged to drive up and pick her up that weekend.

We are very in love with her and her sweet personality.   She is the perfect addition to our little family.

4th of July and Heading Home!

We picked up my birthday cake from Fleckenstein's Bakery before making it to our final destination of Jake's parent's house. Thor and Baleigh were so excited to see "grandpa with the white beard". Thor wanted to hold Sammy the snake and was thrilled that she was in a mood to be held. He's such an adventurous little man.

Grandma and Uncle Caleb were pretty busy that particular weekend with marching band activities. Uncle Caleb is a Tuba player and was marching in 3 parades on the 4th of July. We went and watched him in one of the three. Grandma was a chaperone so she was marching right along there with him.

When Grandma got home we had a quick dinner and sat out in the yard while the kids caught lightning bugs (something they had never done before) and put them in a little jar. They took them with us to the fireworks in the park and there they released them. Both of the kids really liked the display. I was a little worried about Baleigh because she usually doesn't like loud noises.

Baleigh started sneezing and coughing while we were there and quickly passed it on to me and Jake. I ended up with the worse headaches of my life and all I really wanted to do was sleep. So instead of taking the grandparents up on a night of babysitting for a night out - Jake and both went down to the basement and slept for a few hours. It was just as good as a date!

Most of the visit was spent just hanging out and talking. Jake really had a chance to get to talk with his dad. Usually there are a million people/things going on when we are there and there is never any quiet time. This time was much different.

Tuesday morning we had planned on leaving around 9 and we were on the road by 9:30AM. We had decided that we just wanted to get home and that we were vacationed out and just wanted to go home. Instead of driving toward Missouri  and then through Oklahoma to go home we drove the entire length of Illinois down through Tennessee and Arkansas. In case you are a fan of seeing random landmarks- just south of Charleston, IL(where I went to college) is the worlds largest cross in Effingham. It was pretty impressive to see.

We made it just shy of Little Rock, Arkansas the first day and decided to call it quits. We checked into a hotel, ordered some pizza and watched The Great Fairy Rescue. In the morning we got up and decided to check out the Little Rock Zoo.

Roadtrip Chapter 4- Chicago or Bust!

WE made it from Indy to Chicago in awesome time. even though we hit the city at rush hour during The Taste we never had bad traffic. We had found a hotel in Grant Park so that we were right on Michigan Ave! It was our most expensive hotel stay but it was still only $99 a night! So incredibly convenient to the park and all the shopping! I checked us in and then we parked the car in long term parking - figuring if we couldn't walk to where we were going we would just grab a cab.

                                                     My Little Blues "Siblings"

We got up to our room, slid the key in the electronic lock, and nothing happened. This happens alot so I just ran downstairs and had them make me new keys. These keys didn't work either. When I went down the next time the maintenance guy "Rich" was there and he came back up and tried the door. His master key worked but for some reason ours didn't . The hotel was already filled up for the type of room that we had so they couldn't even move us rooms. We were told to stop by the front desk and Rich would let us into our room if we went out. I was a little irritated by how the associate at the front desk was treating me so I spoke with the manager about how this was quite and inconvenience and was quickly apologized to and handed gift certificates for breakfast for my family in the hotel restaurant. That brought my irritation down to a manageable level. We just went to the hotel restaurant for a quick dinner and then to bed. The next day was going to be HUGE!

We redeemed our breakfast vouchers in the morning was was it ever worth it. We got the buffet that is typically $16 a person ( We never would have paid that) and ate until we we could eat no more. Grandma Diane (Jake's mom) met us at the restaurant and we walked across the street to the Field Museum for our first Chicago adventure! We got all access passes to the Museum and they were actually worth it. We saw the actual skeleton of a sperm whale and it was amazing. I have never been able to wrap my mind around how large a whale really is until that moment. Unfortunately we weren't' allowed to take pictures of any of the special exhibits.  We saw the 3D Trex Movie about the discovery of Sue the T-Rex who "lives" in the Field Museum. Thor was blown away by the 3D part and Baleigh just kept asking "why do the dinosaurs have to be so loud?" Grandma and I took a break from the tour in some lounge chairs and Jake took the kids through what ended up being their favorite part - The Underground- You go into the "shrinking room" where you are shot with lasers and you shrink to the size of an insect. Then you enter the underground where you encounter earwigs, and spiders and an earthworm to mention a few. When you reach the end you are re-sized and become human sized again. They did this three times! Once again not able to take pictures though. : (

Roadtrip Chapter 3- To Louisville and on to Nap Town.

We had fully intended on stopping in Cave City, KY on our way to Louisville. They have a Dinosaur World there that we had stopped at when we had driven home after my commissioning two years ago. The kids had loved it then and this time they could actually go through under their own power! It was alot of fun. I am going to have to find the old pictures and show how much the kids have grown since then. We got there right after a rain storm had come through so there were exactly 4 cars in the parking lot and I am pretty sure 2 belonged to the guys running the gift shop. The kids scored some Dino Christmas ornaments emblazoned with Dino World Cave City, KY. It was nice to break up our trip a little as well.

When we got to Louisville it was already way past all the Nielsen's bed time but we were all starving. So, after we all got our stuff upstairs I ran (ok drove) across the street to pick up McDonalds. One of the best McDonalds I have ever experienced - they gave the kids fountain drinks like I had ordered but put apple juice in the happy meal box as well, and they put in fries and apple dippers that really made them both pretty happy. Its always fun to get free stuff!

Next morning the plan was to wait for Jake's younger brother Adam and his son Wylie to come down to Louisville and go to the Zoo with us there. They got there around 9ish and we were all ready to rock. We spent  a few hours at the Louisville Zoo and I think that Jake would agree - Of the free zoos that we toured this was by far the best! They had really cool exhibits and a huge selling point for me was that there were indoor observatories for just about everything you could want to see. The highlight of the day was early on while visiting the Orangutan Exhibit. The large male was up on the fence far away from the window but there were several smaller females eating and hanging out close to the windows. When Thor walked over to the corner to get a better look at the "dominant male" as he called him (Dominate male orangutans have large face "plates" to indicate their position in the community) the big guy came right down and sat by the glass and allowed Thor to get a really fantastic pictures of them together. Then when Thor moved the orangutan got up and moved back to his hiding spot on the fence. Thor is a HUGE fan of Orangutans  and has been for a long time - he has a stuffy orangutan named "Ran" who has been a constant companion for many months now. The funniest thing that he says is when talking about the level of someones intelligence - if someone is really smart is he or she is "smart as an orangutan"- its a compliment, really it is! While at this zoo Thor fell in love with a stuffed Golden Lion Tamarin. He ended up coming home with us- is name is "Tam".

By the end of the day mommy was pretty zoo-ed out and Baleigh was having a hard time with the heat. It wasn't as bad as Nashville but every time we got the opportunity to hit the misting areas we did so.

We had intended to go to the Louisville Slugger factory while in town and get a picture with the worlds largest baseball bat. However, by the time we had gotten some lunch Wylie needed a nap and I was pretty sure our kids (or at least Baleigh) could use one too. Jake and Thor loaded up in Adam's swagger wagon and Baleigh and I turned on Cinderella and were on our way to Indianapolis. Its been a while since I took a roadtrip without Jake. Baleigh fell asleep before we exited the Louisville city limits and I was left in a very quiet car. Typically when the kids fall asleep - so do I. So it was hard to keep alert while on the road. I figured I would call some friends and catch up since I rarely get the opportunity to call anyone anymore while I have quiet time. Pretty much no one was available and I realized that I have very few "friends" numbers in my phone these days. Mostly its SGT so and so or LT what's her name. Only a handful make the "friends" category and they were all on vacation as well. It was a pretty sad realization.

Upon arriving in Indy we unpacked what we NEEDED out of the car and then the kids played the rest of the afternoon away in the yard with all the neighborhood kids. We had a picnic of Jimmy John's (oh how i miss that place) in the front yard and then called it a night. Or some of us did. Our former neighbors the Carlson's were preparing to leave for Fort Campbell in the morning and I hadn't seen them in 2 years! So, I drove over to our old neighborhood and sat on the front steps with Angelique and we talked for hours. It was just like old times - except I wasn't holding a baby monitor. She is one of those people that when we met it was immediate friendship. WE spent alot of time just hanging out back when we lived there and it is what kept me sane in those very difficult 6 months before I joined the Army.

In the morning we headed out to the Indianapolis Zoo. Adam had a family membership that allowed him to get the kids in free. I didn't pay anything  because I am Active Duty and that just left one admission to pay. The Indy Zoo was full of cool stuff. We got to see an elephant get a bath and then were able to touch him on the way out of the bathing are. The kids were able to pet Dog Sharks and that was a serious high point for Thor. Baleigh wasn't quite brave enough to actually touch a shark but she did put her hand in the water near one. We took in the dolphin show that was really cool and then we watched the walrus get some exercise. The most entertaining part for my was watching the kids race cheetahs. In case you didn't know they are the fastest land animal. Being home of the Indy 500 some of the race car drivers funded the enclosure and the cost of bringing three beautiful Cheetahs to Indianapolis. Right outside their enclosure is a track that allows you to see how far you could run before a Cheetah would pass you. The kids each got about a foot. The really fascinating part was when Thor went up to the track and was preparing to run. Two cheetahs came up to the window and trotted the length of the track with him! Then they turned and went back to the shade. I don't know if its coincidence that the animals were just curious in Thor or if there is something about him that draws them to him- either way it made for some interesting experiences.

Again  it was toddler nap time - I wanted to wear our kids out so that they napped on the way to Chicago later that day so we grabbed swim gear and went to the splash park that Thor loved as a little kid. Jake went out and grabbed some more Jimmy John's for us and we had a picnic in the park. One of my besties from college Rachel R. came with her friend to visit us there. Rachel is an paramedic in Indy and were were fortunate to be in town on one of her random days off. They had fun teaching the kids about geo-caches and Baleigh even got to find one in a tree!

The original intent was to go to the Children's Museum in town as well. However, it would have been pushing it to try and get  that much activity into one day. We headed back to Adam and Sarah's house and packed up the remaining things we had their and were on the road to Chicago by 3PM.

Roadtrip Chapter 2- Nashville to Louisville

WE got to Nashville in the early evening on my birthday and decided to just call it a night. We went to the hotel ordered some pizza from a local place and all got ready to head down to the hotel pool. It was a beautiful night - it had just rained so the air was cool (in comparison to the 90+ heat we had been dealing with) and the kids were SO excited to go swimming.Thor is like a little river otter - even though he can't swim yet he just jumps right in. I helped him navigate the pool for a while and then asked Baleigh if she wanted to leave her perch on the pool steps to go swimming with me. She said "no". I took her in anyway. I have never seen her so terrified in my life. She shrieked and wrapped herself around my like I was trying to drown her. I only took her for one lap around the pool but she was pretty mad at me after that. We're going to start looking into swimming lessons for them to get her over this fear of water. Swimming lessons are the one thing that my parents made sure all of us kids had and I think that it is an invaluable skill to possess.

Monday morning the kids and I got up early and enjoyed a simple hotel breakfast before packing the car and waking Jake up. By this point the cool of the night before had worn off and  it was 92 deg. and about 90 % humidity. That didn't stop this family from heading to the Nashville Zoo! We got in with our Association of Zoos and Aquariums pass from the Waco Zoo so it didn't even cost us anything. If you get the chance to check this zoo out it is really nice - and if you ever find yourself living there - get a membership! The one attraction that blew me away wasn't even animal related- it was the 65,000 sq foot "jungle gym". It is a maze of slides, and rope nets, and towers! The kids loved it and the misting areas that are all around it to assist in cooling off. Both the kids were very excited to see a Blue Hyacinth Mcaw - because it was just like the one they saw in "Rio". Thor was also brave enough to feed the Lorakeets when went into their enclosure. They give you a little nectar in a cup and the birds come to you and eat out of your hand. Pretty cool!  When we left the zoo we were STARVING so we headed down town to get food.

The Pancake Pantry was featured on Man Vs Food (Host : Adam Richmond) a few weeks back and I took some notes. We didn't go first thing in the morning because they are ALWAYS really busy. Getting there around 1:30 PM we were seated immediately and had our food in under 15 minutes. I ordered the Village Smithy and it was phenomenal. It is a cornmeal pancake that is incredibly light and fluffy while being loaded with green chiles, bacon, cheese and topped with picante and sour cream. They encourage you to drizzle a little maple syrup on it and I have to say it does bring it to a whole new level of deliciousness! Thor wasn't feeling the pancakes so he got two sides of bacon and in his words "devoured it". I have never been to a place that bakes their bacon instead of frying it. It is a correct level of crispy with no burnt bits and is always flat and perfect looking.  Baleigh got eggs and silver dollar pancakes that she laid into and she said that the blueberry syrup was very yummy as well. Jake got the Cinnamon Raisin Pancakes and they come with a complementary  caramel syrup that rocked my world. We were all STUFFED when we left there and even with the tip the whole meal was under $35! The kids got to keep the cups that their milk was served in so they even came away with a little souvenir cup that reads "At the Pancake Pantry Kids are Little Kings and Queens".

Now that blood sugar has returned to an acceptable level we went a few streets over to  see the Parthenon. That's right- Nashville has a life sized replica of the Parthenon in the middle of one of their public parks! Inside of it is a 45 ft statue of Athena. We didn't actually get to see Athena because the museum is closed on Monday and it was Monday. Bummer! It was fun to walk around it and really think about the remarkable feat it was to construct something of that magnitude with no modern machinery. Even though we missed out on the full experience it was so worth it!

We had talked about going to the Country Music Hall of Fame and The Grand Ol' Opry but in the end we decided we had done enough for the day. Getting back on the  road we headed towards Kentucky!

Roadtrip Chapter 1- Memphis/Mason

Bright and early on a Saturday June 25th, 2011 the Nielsen family embarked on their first but definitely not last family vacation. The car was packed, tummies were happy and we were on our way to MEMPHIS! Along the way we stopped at our favorite BBQ place in Texas (Bodacious BBQ in Sulpher Springs, TX). It was just as delicious as we remembered!

We made awesome time and got to Memphis in the early evening. We decided to go into the city and get a bite to eat and check out Beale ST before the crazies got out. We ate at the Blues City Cafe on Beale ST and although the food is pretty great the service was - well there really wasn't any. Lets just leave it at that. I got the fried catfish and shared it with Baleigh- we both really loved it. We give this the Nielsen rating of 3 thumbs up for taste, 4 thumbs down for service, and the  price was under $10 per plate.

We ventured out onto Beale ST to find it very different from when we had visited in November (we were the only people on the street that night). Even at 7 PM it was hopping with life. We battled through the crowds and walked the length of the the street before deciding to call it a night.

We have never planned out a vacation like we did this one before so we had booked all of our hotels online and here I will make a plug for Travelocity.com. I read reviews and put in the specs of the room that we wanted and we did not pay over $50 for a hotel room (with the exception of the room we rented down town Chicago). They were all clean, quiet, with comfy beds in what appeared to be safe neighborhoods.

We got up early on the 26th (Happy Birthday to me!) and headed to the Blue Plate (a breakfast place that was recommended to us by a local last year when we were there) for breakfast. This place was amazing. I had and omlette with some country hash browns that rocked my world! The portions were enormous and could easily be shared with someone else. We played musical plates at the table so everyone got a chance to taste a few things. Baleigh's blueberry waffle with wild blueberry compote and home made whipped cream was my second favorite. Forgetting about the food for a second- the ambiance was incredible as well. The whole place is painted in a bright sunshiny yellow and then decorated in paintings from local artists. All the paintings are for sale if one really strikes your fancy. Overall the Nielsen Rating for service gets 4 thumbs up, the food gets 4 thumbs up, and the price per meal was under $8 per person. (If you are looking for a peanut butter and banana sandwich they serve it here)

From the Blue Plate we headed to GRACELAND! Years ago when Jake and I were both in College we used to talk about just keeping on I-57 S and going all the way to Graceland. Over a decade later we finally made it. I will make a note here that it is not really  a place to take little kids. Your are given a headset and a handheld "walkman" like device that guides you through the tour. Thor was really bummed that he didn't get a headset so I gave him mine and he "guided" Baleigh and I through the house. I was able to read about everything as we went through the Jungle Room with the built in waterfall and see the beautiful front room all in white with exquisite stained glass peacocks (my favorite room). Jake took a bit of a slower pace white the kids and I moved ahead.

At the memorial gardens Elvis is buried next to his parents and grandmother. Fresh flowers are sent to Graceland daily and they are displayed until they wilt. They come from all over the world even still to this day. Something that I didn't know about him was how protective he was of his family. The upstairs of his home was their hideaway. No one was or is allowed on the second story of Graceland. It has never been photographed and according to his daughter's wishes it will never be open to the public. He was also a man who gave back to his community - if he saw someone who was struggling it was not uncommon for him to just toss him the keys to the car he was driving and give it to them- or to donate large amounts of money to the local charities. Those are things that no one really talks about when they speak of "the King".

We headed out of Memphis around 1PM with Mason, TN as our next destination. Mason, TN aside from being the birthplace of Issac Hayes is also the home of Gus's World Famous Spicy Fried Chicken (according to Clair Robinson on Food Network - and their sign out front). Here we experienced our second taste of what Jake and I consider no service but apparently what is considered standard for the south. : ) We watched as every table in the place was served (some who had come in after us) before our order was even taken. When the waitress finally made her way to our table she said (not asked) "you're having the family bucket" - to which Jake responded "no" and proceeded to tell her what we WOULD be having. The food eventually came (the restaurant was actually empty by this point) and was pretty tasty - however we were left wondering where the spice was. It was well seasoned and juicy but barley had a hint of spice. This place got a Nielsen Rating of  2 thumbs up for taste, 1 thumb down for service, the price for a family meal was about $20.

So ends Chapter One of our Roadtrip Vacation- Next Stop Nashville!