The Bama Belle Date

Good Thursday morning!

I have added some flower shots to the Gallery this morning. These flowers do not belong to me. You can tell because they are living, thriving plants. They belong to my friend, Dee, who has a very green thumb. In comparison, my thumb must be black.

RANDOMNESS - As I've ranted and raved all summer long... this summer has been different. So different, in fact, Mikie came up with a new tradition to start with our two guys. Of course, he's trespassing in my territory, but it was a good idea so I didn't disregard it. And I'm giving him all the credit, because I always say I will do that... and he will tell everyone if I don't.

He suggested Austin and Josh start going on an annual "Bro"cation every summer. (Get it? "Bro"cation instead of Vacation. The name was my idea.) Just the two of them. Austin is 20 and Josh is almost 18, so a trip like this would be fun. Or so we thought.

"Have an adventure! Go somewhere different. Do something you've never done before (that the parental units approve of). Have a great, great time!"

The boys just looked as us blankly.

"You want us to leave?" Austin asked. "I haven't been home that long, and I have to report to Band Camp on the 12th."

"No. We don't WANT you to leave. We're giving you this opportunity to start a life-long tradition with your brother. No matter where life takes you, you'll always have your summer 'Bro'cation to look forward to being together."

"Where would we stay?" Josh asked. They were NOT understanding this concept at all.

"In a hotel. Mom and I will pay for a two-night stay at a VERY reasonably-priced hotel."

"Oh. Austin, do you want to go to the La Quinta for a couple of days?"

"Yeah. That sounds great. We can order in pizza every night."

Heavy silence in the room. (For those of you not familiar with our area, La Quinta is less than five minutes from our house.)

"Guys. Listen. The hotel isn't the adventure! What you do outside the hotel is the adventure!"

Heavy silence in the room.

"Well, we need to think about where we want to go. We can't decide right now."

"I agree," Mike said, sounding relieved. They were getting it!

That was four days ago. They still haven't decided where to go. And whenever they walk past me or Mikie, we're almost sure they are mumbling "La Quinta! La Quinta!" with big smiles on their faces.

It's getting a little annoying.

Stay posted. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Blog Linkage - Okay. I used one of today's links for yesterday's post, but I'll put it up one more time in case you're just visiting today. I also have three more "go and see" websites for you to check out.

1. Go to Confessions of a Pioneer Woman under My Blog List and click on Confessions at the top of her page. Go to the July 11 post entitled "Summer Reunion." I used it as my Seasonal Tradition yesterday, and this post (with pics) is very motivating.

2. Go to Nesting Place under My Blog List and scroll down to the post entitled "Plastic Spoon Laurel Wreath" dated July 10, 2011. Is this not the cutest little wreath? And it looks easy, too. Who thinks of these things?

3. For a creamy, non-churning homemade ice cream recipe (S'mores), go to eighteen25 under My Blog List and visit today's post entitled "Please Welcome Our Guest." I've never made homemade ice cream without churning... and this looks delicious!

4. Go to Nitty.Gritty. under My Blog List and read Jody's post entitled "Summer Days" dated July 13. The ten-year anniversary of her tragedy is fast approaching, and this post on living life with grief is very eye-opening.

The Bama Belle Date

This is another date I haven't tried, but "back in the day" I would have been all over it.

The Bama Belle is a modern-day replica of the grand paddlewheel riverboats which graced the nation's river ways in the early 1900s. Today, you can experience the same magical, nostalgic celebration of the American spirit on The Bama Belle... Alabama's grand new attraction!

When I called to get prices and times for the riverboat cruise, the offices were not open, so I will continue to call until I get ALL of the info. As soon as I talk to a real person, I will be posting an update.

The address and phone number are below:

The Bama Belle
One Greensboro Avenue
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401
205-339-1108

Oh. Plan on going to lunch or dinner with your little one at Mellow Mushroom after your cruise... only .4 miles from The Bama Belle. (I KNOW you'll like that part of your date!)

Have a tremendous Thursday! The weekend is right around the corner... which is a very good thing. I'll be back Friday with Weekend Happenings and a few announcements.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda