She's Driving!

 Gracie finished her last week of driver's ed last week.  Yesterday, she and her good friend Jackie took the driving test.  

In the state of IN, if they pass the driving test at the end of the driver's ed course, they won't have to take it at the BMV once they turn 16 and 3 months.  They simply turn in their form showing where they passed and get their driver's license.  

Matt and I took them to lunch and afterwards I took them to take the test.  They both did great and passed.  I have to admit, I was nervous for them as I watched them parallel park.

Lily Grace has been driving us around and I have to say, I can't believe we are already at this point.  Matt made her start by driving "Bunny," our old 4 Runner.  This is actually the car Lily Grace came home in and now she's driving it.  It totally melted my heart the first time.  

Taking her driving test.

Two very excited and relieved girls!

She rode home in the back seat of "Bunny" when she came home from China and now here I sit in the back watching her drive us.  

Braces are off!

 

We have a Driver!

 Lily Grace is taking Driver's Ed through her high school this summer.  She's one week in and has one week of classroom instruction to go along with a week behind the wheel.  

Today she went to take the written test for her permit.  She was scared to death.  

We arrived bright and early at the BMV and by the time we left, she was all smiles.  She passed, only missing one.  She was even pleased with how her picture turned out. 

She couldn't wait to head over to daddy's office to share the news and show him her temporary permit. The permanent one arrives in about a week.  

Looking forward to being driven around by you Gracie. (well...maybe I won't look- ha! ha!) So happy for you!

Taking the test

All smiles with her new permit

Waiting on dad- Getting your driver's permit is definitely a good reason to interrupt a meeting.

So excited to share her news and show him her permit

Summer Golf Tour in Full Swing

 The summer golf tour kicked off last week for Lily Grace.  She placed 3rd overall last Monday with an 84 and second place both Monday and today with a 77 and an 81.  

She's working hard on her game.  So proud of you Gracie Cakes!

Happy Father’s Day!

Lily Grace and I took Matt to his favorite links course for Father’s Day for 18 holes with his favorite golfer. 

Lily ended up beating him by 6 strokes and I don’t think he cared one bit. He enjoyed every moment of it. We had a lovely day!

Matt is the most giving and caring dad.   

To the absolute best daddy…..Happy Father’s Day!

Summer Vacation with THE MOUSE

At 15, Lily Grace decided she needed to see Disney World.  All packed up, we flew to Orlando last week and spent 7 full days tackling each Disney park and Universal.  Was it HOT and HUMID?  It definitely was.  Was it crowded?  It was.  Did we have fun? ABSOLUTELY!! 

We stayed at Disney's Grand Floridian and it was just beautiful.  We had a lagoon view to catch the electric water parade each night and the grounds were amazing. 

Upon arrival, we got settled, explored and enjoyed the grounds and pools.  We also caught a bus to Disney Springs to eat at Art Smith's Homecomin'.  

*To read about all 7 days, be sure to click older post at the bottom of each page.

Being so close to the Magic Kingdom was wonderful.  

Beautiful

Even the carpets were ornate and beautiful.

The pools proved to be a welcome site at the end of some really hot days.  Having the monorail run right to the door was also a treat.

We could see Cinderella's Castle from the dock at the resort.

Matt and Lily had an afternoon Badminton match once we settled in.

Lily loves antique car.  This one sits be a carriage at the entrance.

Gracie and I loved Disney Springs.  Oh the shops, restaurants and things to see.

We had a caricature done before dinner and Lily and I couldn't believe how he nailed Matt.  Too cute!

I was really excited about eating at Art Smith's Homecomin'

Lily loved the fried chicken and I loved the Cole slaw

Magic Kingdom

 We spent our first day visiting the Magic Kingdom.  We were there for the rope drop that morning and didn't leave until around 8:00 that evening.  Needless to say, blew our Apple Watches up logging steps and miles.  

Masks were required inside and one rides, but not outside.  I won't lie, it was a little bit of a hassle, but overall not a big deal and didn't prevent us from doing anything and having fun.

We're in bright and early.

There really is something about making it to Main Street and seeing the castle for the first time.  

It was always fun to hear the music start up and see what parade was heading down the street next.

We had a couple of these afternoons. 

Gracie and I loved Thunder Mountain.  Matt refused to ride with us after getting off Space Mountain which he didn't like at all.

Gracie posed with Captain Jack Sparrow before we got on Pirates of the Caribbean.

Cooling off with some Dole whip

We were on the front row for Splash Mountain and it felt good to get soaked. 

Excited to see Marry Poppins

Our very first ride of the day was actually on Seven Dwarfs Mine train.  Gracie and I loved it.  Hands in the air, yelling and having a great time.  

Matt.....not so much!

The Grand all lit up as we make our way to the monorail to travel back "home."  We loved how we were welcomed "home" each night and told to have a magical day as we left each morning.