Cicada Cottage: Indoors Edtion

The high (in the 80s) temperatures this week have me slipping on sandals and savoring Spring because summer will creep up on us early this year.  We moved to North Carolina on July 1st, 2008.  This summer will be our 5th here in the Southeast!

That's the longest we've ever lived anywhere.  It will be our fourth summer at Cicada Cottage.

We've made a few changes here and there.  New coats of paint.  Knobs switched from one piece of furniture to another.

The pillows always change up much to the chagrin of Dr. Gooch.  But for the most part, our little cottage has remained constant.

A place for play and primping.

A refuge for those who wish to reflect or for the rambunctious sort to romp.

It's a safe spot.  Within which we make food and waste and love and up.

Here, I have convinced the rascals that I am queen and CC is their castle.

Here we form princely piles, evidence of pulsing life. 

And royalty rears her fresh-bathed head.  At least 1,000 baths

but only one bitch ;)

My favorite part of our place?  Is that you are always welcome!

*Find the magic Kate made with the table and some light in the living room!

If You Turn 32, I'll Throw You a Private Party

Dr. Gooch will make you some lemonade and it will be on tap.  He'll keep it flowin' all night.

I'll whip fresh strawberries into the buttercream and smear a smattering of chocolate cupcakes with it.

There will always ALWAYS be flowers here for you to stop and smell.

There will not always be rosemary creme brulee...that's a superfluous sweet.

A gang of rascals will raise a raucous...

But Arnie (above) will keep the peace with his stoic stare.

I'll crowd all 32 candles on your cuppy and the sun will peek through the clouds just in time for your anniversarial wish.

I can't guarantee that this stallion will be there but...

friends are in no short supply to celebrate your soiree.

We'll stay until the candles burn all the way down to the wick 

and the wee ones wane into wonderland...

The Dill Cousins!!

We couldn't leave Florida without seeing our favorite Floridians!  We drove up an hour from Orlando and met in Ponce DeLeon, FL where there is a natural spring.  The perfect place for a picnic lunch with the baby Dills and their parents.

It was a whirlwind of photos and catching up over PB&J and Girl Scout Thin Mints!

 Lucky lucky me that I got to snuggle cute cuddly Drummer Boy!

Cousin Train!!  Love those dirty knees and smiley mugs.  The visit was so quick and only whetted our appetite for more.  Can't wait to meet up again!

Lucky Lucy, Indeed!

Once upon a time there was a customer service representative at Southwest airlines who saw Lucy on the news....  

 His name is Mike

 Mike heard that Lucy liked dolphins "way more better than sharks". 

 Mike wanted to help Lucy in her healing process by helping her get back in the water with dolphins (not sharks).

(Although we got to pet a Zebra Shark "back stage"!)

Mike's great idea reached many people who pooled their resources to make this happen.

Southwest Airlines donated 6 round trip tickets to Florida! 

 Sea World Orlando offered a first class day in Discovery Cove. 

Where we fed birds and armadillos...

 And hung with June who made our every wish her command.

 Buena Vista Palace Resort and Spa provided a three room suite for the two-night stay and Kenji (the hotel manager) was the epitome of hospitality.  

We planned the trip to fall on Lucy's birthday, March 3rd.

She started her first day as a seven-year-old with a plate full of pancakes and a day full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.  

We felt like we couldn't say thank you enough for the kind people that made this happen.  A special thanks to Mike who moved heaven and earth for our sweet shark bait whom he had never even met!  

I also want to thank Lucy's comrades, Seth, Hazel, and little miss Avery.  Sometimes it's hard to watch your sibling in the spotlight and let her shine.  These rascals were stars and handled it all with grace and spunk. 

Love those eight legs and the energy they inject into my life!

 Riding Jenny the Dolphin!!