Some of our 2024 travel

 So I made it to 2024....

We started out the year right with a cruise with my best friend and her hubby to Mexico  

Then in February it was another cruise with the "little kids" to the Bahamas

Love them so much

We have a family joke about this particular pose we've been doing it for 20 years  The kids roll their eyes but they smile for me 

In July/August we took our yearly trip to NY for Sam's eye appointment.  To be honest I didn't really want to drive or go!  I tried to talk Jon into flying up with Sam but my son Steve talked me into going because he said Jon really wanted me to go.  Now I'm so glad I went!

We stopped on the way up at Chimney Rock NC  It's one of my first travel memories as my family went up there for a church camp meeting in South Carolina and our friends took us to Chimney rock.  Since then I've gone as a young married then as a mom so it's a big part of my life.  Little did we know that in just a matter of weeks Chimney Rock and so much of Western NC would be devastated by Hurricane Helene (which happened to affect my hometown severally!)

/Chinmey Rock Inn is where we stayed in the Lady Bug cottage.  They just reopened this weekend so go to their website and reserve you a room or cottage.  

I'll never get tired of this iconic picture 

YES we made it to the rock!  Sam is pretty good about climbing stairs and he did it!

is this the most precious picture????

This is so precious!  Sam doesn't do this often but when he "sings" for us it just melts our heart.  He was very proud of climbing up the steps and was very happy to be the "only child" for a week!  It was a perfect trip

Jon helping Sam go down the steps

who could dream this little stream would soon almost destroy the town??

this entrance was very damaged.  Can you imagine the force of water that could damage these rock stone pillars???

  from North carolina we headed to Rochester NY but stopped at the New River Gorge in West Virginia.  Our family has stopped there a number of times over the years.

Then we had a little time for sightseeing in Rochester between appointments.  This is down on Lake Ontario

See that lighthouse?  I climbed to the top.  It's not that tall but it's a spiral then a straight up ladder!  The hardest point ws getting down-I did it but almost cried!  Sam was smart he sat in the garden as Jon and I took turns going to the top! 

Sam stole Sarah's bear for the trip LOL

we did the merry go round

Our dear  Dr Aquavella!  Sam got a good report.  This year makes 18!!! years since he had the implants!

He's always been fascinated by this hall mirror at the Ronald McDonald House

We've spent a total of about 10 months at this RMH over the past 18 years

On the way home we stopped at Savannah Georgia for a couple of days.  Let me tell you it was hot as HADES!   

we have a thing for old Catholic Churches

yes more church pictures lol  I love them!

We love our dear friend David Wine and his Aunt Barbara!

You may wonder how we did three cruises back to back.... first two were planned for over a year so that gave us time to pay them off slowly.  We don't go out much at home, I cook A LOT at home and we'd rather spend our "fun" money on something that's really nice.  We also get really good deals and usually we get interior rooms to save even more money.  We don't drink (I will confess to about 4 pina coladas a year ) and if we do an excursion most of the time we do it on our own (yes we are brave) and spend very little!  In fact on our most recent cruise we did two different Mexican town tours and spent $0 on the first one by walking and $26 at the next town by taking a taxi between a couple of places.  So we spent $26 for two excursions!  

And let me give a shout out to Kay's Tour and Cruise the owner is married to one of my childhood friends and always finds us great deals and takes good care of us!  They are located in Lake City Fl but we do all our business online/on phone and are so pleased with them!!!  Ask for OVI and tell him Yvonne sent you!

Please feel free to share my blog and I'll be back soon to finish up 2024!

Welcome back to My Real Life by Yvonne

It's been a minute well almost a million minutes since I last blogged......

Blogging had become just another chore to me instead of an outlet I enjoyed.  Taking this time off has helped me and I'm planning on coming back not just to blog but adding some other platforms in the near future.  But for now a quick update.....

Everyone is healthy and doing good.  There's been some health issues but thankfully everyone is stable now.  Not much has changed in our lives which is a good thing!  The chickens are good - we've got a few more...the cats are great- we've got a few more .  It sounds like it's been boring around here :)  My husband is still the pastor at Grace Church and the Chaplain at the prison.  Steve & Nichole are doing great with his job and their business Clanton Media!  Shad resigned the prison last year after almost 3 years and went back to college full time.  Now he's decided to work full time & has a nice apartment  Selah has remained healthy in her group home which is just wonderful!  Sam and Sarah are continuing to thrive although Sarah is still struggling with tummy issues.  

We did have quite a time with the hurricanes last year as did my poor hometown of Perry Florida.  I've been fighting insurance now for 10 months.  

My comedy routine has also been on hold but my friend and I are itching to have a comeback!  We've love to go see comedians and think we are just as funny (if we could do a "tell all" we might be even funnier but probably would be shot!)

So there you go almost 2 years in 4 paragraphs.......

So now let me share some photos....I LOVE pictures of my family! These are from fall- Christmas of 2023

This picture of Sam is one of my favorites!

In October of 2023 we attended my 40th high school class reunion!!!  1983 seems like just a few years ago NOT 4 decades!  My hometown had just gone through a bad hurricane, little did we know a worse one would come in 2024.  

In school I was so not a popular girl.  Being raised by two old sisters in a strict household and not having "real" parents certainly set me apart but not in a good way! But I've seen as we all got older the differences seem to melt away.  Everyone has gone through life struggles now and we all have grace for each other.  I really enjoy our reunions and keeping in touch with many of my classmates,  

my peeps!  we took a "big kid" cruise in December 

they are so cute!

my big guys

This was Haiti.....having a close friend who runs a ministry in Haiti I was not so keen on the idea of going there on vacation knowing the issues that were going on.  But my big kids are PROS  at getting me to go along with their plans!  MY DIL booked an exercuison that was a bit out of my comfort zone.  We were to take a yacht to a secluded bay away from the main GUARDED Royal Caribbean area.   I am adventurous (in the eyes of some not my kids) but this was a bit over the top.  But we did it and it was the most beautiful place!  It's my favorite exercuison ever and I'd go back and do it again!

People always hate on Nassau but I love it.  Maybe because it's the first place I went on a cruise or maybe because I've been there many times and feel comfortable there...this lighthouse is my FAVORITE!

Christmas '23 with all my loves!





These six people mean the world to me!

More pictures will be forthcoming!

There's many topics I want to write about from serious to silly and I hope you'll join me!  My life has certainly changed from 2009  when I first began writing to 2025!  I've changed from my 2009 self also!  So many things have happened from adopting the girls, the accident, Jon's heart attack, Steve and Shad leaving home Steve getting married.....it's been a trip!  Back then if I thought about the kids growing up it made me sad but it's really been amazing to see them grow up and make their own ways in the world.  And I love having my sweet daughter in love!  Although our lives have changed so much the most important thing has not and that's our love for each other.  

Meet Maybelle and Ethel

Well we did a thing..... for awhile me and my BFF Jan have talked about doing  comedy videos  and we finally did it!  For months we  would sit and talk about scripts and crack ourselves up so we know we can bring some laughter to other folks' life too.  Both of us love silly comedy - we both figure life is just too hard not to laugh.  We watch videos especially LeeAnn Morgan (who we have tickets to go see in January)  John Crist The Holderness Family anything from Dry Bar Comedy (family style comedy)  Taylor Ransom -We've seen Madea LIVE and  Jeff Allen.  

We both love the old shows when you actually had actors/actresses who used comedy without being vulgar.  Jan and I were roommates in college and even back then I could see her doing comedy. She reminded me of a Lucille Ball  She is very talented (Music major) and traveled in singing groups for our university.  She is actually a private music teacher and really is our church pianist!  We've been close friends for more years that we'd like to admit LOL -at least 38 years!  I know neither of us look that old!  We were both raised in church and have it in our DNA.  Living together at a christian college was very interesting in the 1980's.  We went to chapel every single day.  Church on Sunday....  We could base some skits on that LOL  The stories we have.....   So we've been laughing together for a few decades and now we want to invite YOU to join us in laughing!

Anyhow it was way too easy for us to do these videos.  I think Maybelle and Ethel are right beneath the surface in both of our lives!  We did the first video on the first take:)   

Click to watch our first video    MEET MAYBELLE & ETHEL

Here is a video  introducing wild Maybelle MEET MAYBELLE

And her is Ethel's video MEET ETHEL

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And I have to say how blessed I am to have this girl in my life!  She's laughed and cried with me.  Prayed with me- met me at Dulles airport on a short layover to see me on my way back from Ukraine with the girls...showed up at family funerals.... I was her maid of honor... .I called her to tell her I eloped LOL  It's funny she actually started college my sophomore year transferring from another college and was the on again off again girl friend of one of my guy friends.  He always talked her up so much....the rest of us made fun of "the perfect girl" LOL  My first roommate had not come back so my guy friend begged me to be Jan's roommate.... I really didn't want to but I said yes!  I remember going to meet her & her  family at a hotel- we laugh about that now but by the end of the first day we were already friends.  Ironically she ended up marrying her ex boyfriend's roommate!  They have a beautiful marriage-of course they do!  I was their maid of honor!!!!  

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