Updating our "backyard"

Since we live in a townhouse we don't really have much of a yard, but we're trying to make the best of what we do have. This weekend we planted some new flowers in the back, which you can see below....
...and we also bought a new patio table and umbrella. We already had a set of four patio chairs, so Chad painted the table to match. You can't see the table very well from this picture, but I wanted to get an overall shot of our little backyard.

Roxy tries to be different

Roxy doesn't want to be just like everyone else. Instead of just sitting on the futon like Sandy, she decides to sit on the futon underneath the footstool. Roxy's always trying to be different!

Sleepy heads

Here's a picture of Chad and Sandy taking a nap. It's a little dark because I was trying to take the picture without waking them up!

The Top 5 Things my Dad was Right About

Since this past weekend was Father's Day I thought I would share the card I made for my Dad. Now that I'm an adult I realize all the things my parents were right about. So, for my Dad I made his card the "Top 5 Things Dad was Right About" and here they are with brief explanations:

1. You have to play "the game".
This was something my Dad always said especially when I was in high school and college. Playing the game is basically doing things you may not like for the sake of your career or to get ahead in life. Now that I'm in my professional career and more recently in management I'm playing the game every day.

2. Everyone needs to know how to type.
When I took typing in junior high my Dad always said that everyone needs to know how to type no matter what you think your career might be. That is so right - I encounter people every day who are professionals, but have to hunt and peck to type an e-mail or letter. Typing is easy and it's only going to help you in life to know how to do it.

3. You can get tired of eating out.
When I was a kid my family hardly ever went out to eat except for special occasions and when we went on vacation. My brother and I looked so forward to vacation because it meant eating out multiple times in a week. I remember my Dad saying that he was tired of eating out and thinking how could anyone ever get tired of eating out! Now when we're on vacation I find myself saying "I'm so tired of eating out - I'm ready to eat at home again".

4. Get an education because no one can ever take it away from you.
I was very blessed to have both my undergraduate and master's degrees paid for by a trust fund my great-grandmother had set up for all her grandchildren. My Dad always stressed getting a college education because no matter what it can't be taken away from you. You can lose your job or your home or whatever, but your education and degree(s) can't be taken away or lost. Now that Chad is trying to finish up his undergrad degree (and we're paying for it) I also see the benefit of getting an education while you're younger because it is much harder to make the time and effort when you have a family to support and are working full time.

5. Pay your bills first, then live on the rest.
My Dad is very good with money and passed that on to me as well. He always stressed that you need to pay your bills first and on time and live on whatever is left. I've always done that - I've never been late with my rent or now mortgage and I make sure our bills are paid first and on time. I've seen 3 friends get foreclosed on because they didn't take care of their bills first or didn't pay them at all.

So, Happy Father's Day and thanks for all the good advice Dad!

One last beach picture

Here's a picture of me on our last day of vacation. We went and walked on the beach one last time before we left.

The view at Orton

Here's a picture of me and Chad at Orton Plantation...

... and here was our view from the bench we were sitting on.

Animals at Orton

If you look closely you can see the squirrel on the tree trunk/root. There were squirrels all over the place, but in this picture you can see the whole squirrel.

Here's a picture of a white heron that we saw.

The Trees at Orton

There are tons of huge oak trees at Orton Plantation. Here's a picture of one above and below is a picture of Chad by the trunk of one of these huge trees.

Orton Plantation House

Here's the plantation house.

More garden pics

Above is the "scroll garden" and below is a picture of one of the garden paths.

Orton Plantation Gardens

Chad and I went to the Orton Plantation gardens. Orton used to be a rice plantation in the 1800's and the house is still a private residence. If you look closely at the bottom picture you can kindof see a butterfly on the flowers.

Seagull pictures

This seagull came up and to finish off Chad's snack (an apple).

Here are some more seagull pics.

Lounging on the beach

We got new beach chairs this year complete with attached pillows and they can recline in stages all the way to completely horizontal. Here's Chad enjoying the new chairs.

Here's another picture of Chad lying on our oversize towel.

The beautiful Wrightsville Beach

Here are some pictures of the beautiful Wrightsville Beach. The weather was so nice while we were there that towards the end of the week we stayed out too long and got a little sun-burned.

Ft. Fisher area

Here is a view of the beach at Ft. Fisher.

Here is a picture of the Maritime Forest at Ft. Fisher.

Aquarium statues

Here I am with an otter statue.

Here's Chad with a giant frog statue.

Turtles at the aquarium

These two box turtles were in one of the aquarium exhibits and instead of hiding in their shells when they saw us they stayed out and followed us while we were near their exhibit.

Here are some turtles that live outside of the aquarium in a pond area.

More aquarium creatures

Here's a picture of a spiny lobster.

And here's a picture of a sting ray.

More fish pics

Here are some more pictues of fish in their aquariums. Above you can see Chad's silhouette in front of the aquarium and below is a close-up of one of the fish.

More aquarium pictures

I was really surprised at the pictures we were able to take with our digital camera of the fish in their tanks. Above is a sea horse and below is a close-up of moray eel.