Hubby took 3 days off from work so we could all relax, get out of the house and do something fun. We went to Tanger outlet mall in Branson first then stayed at a hotel in Springfield and get ready for loads of fun in the zoo the next day. It was just great to do stuff like this again. I could imagine things would get even more better when the baby gets bigger and older. I have been to several zoos in the US but it was Caleb's first so we're pretty much excited, at the same time apprehensive on how he's going to behave while we're there. Amazingly, he was such a good baby all throughout. I think he loves looking around, seeing new stuff, being with different kinds of people. We might do more travelling sometime soon. It can be very exhausting to travel with a baby but I think I'll get used to it. After all, we did lots of road trips back then and this time we're going to do it more as a family bonding.

Before we had our baby, we used to take long road trips especially on holidays and special occasions. But that had to be put on halt for a while since the arrival of our little guy. I just thought as a little baby he’s very sensitive and I just wanted to shelter him from unnecessary stress. Now that he’s getting a little bit bigger and tougher, we are starting to bring him to trips. Last weekend, we took him to a zoo. He’s a little over 6 months old now. I know he couldn’t really remember this when he gets older but I think he enjoyed his time with us looking at those animals and a bunch of people in that place. I wish he’d turn out to be like us who super love to travel and explore new places. In general, I had a great time. Unfortunately, I lost a heart pendant. Instead of a diamond tennis bracelet, I think I’d ask hubby for a replacement pendant on our anniversary, lol!

My sister just recently bought a huge above-ground pool for her little boy. I think it’s a good one considering how hot it can get in the summertime. My nephew loves to swim and I’m sure he’s going to enjoy his summer vacation with that pool around. In this scorching heat, everyone would love a good cool dip in the pool. Public pools and water-theme parks are also a good summer vacation choices. As a matter of fact, some public pools even have pool disability access lifts to accommodate people with disabilities who would like some kind of temporary relief in this hot weather. How about you, have you planned your summer outing yet?

A week ago, Jeff went to a training class in Wisconsin. He likes to travel light especially that he’s travelling alone and it was only for 4 days. He wants to avoid the hassle of waiting in the claim baggage counter, only to find out they’ve lost your luggage (worst case scenario!). It happened to us before. So to be safe, he only brought a small backpack with him. His co-worker thought it’s amazing how he’d managed to fit the clothes and paperwork in one small backpack, lol! Well, everything fits but when he arrived home, I thought that poor little thing looks like it had seen better days, lol! It literally looks like it’s gonna burst any time. It gave me an idea on what stuff to get him on special occasions like birthday, anniversaries and stuff. Yeah, I always had a hard time getting him something. He’s a very practical man. He likes functional things. So I guess I’m going to have to look into wrestling bags. They look like backpacks, easy to carry but slightly roomy.

The dam is there to prevent the river from flooding. Due to the incessant rain for the last months, the lake's water level had gone higher than normal. They had to open up the spillway gates to allow lakewater to flow through the river. They did for a while. It had resulted to a little bit of flooding in some lower areas where the river passes through. To make the long story short, Jeff had to come in for a brief overtime so he could lower down some of the gates. He brought us along, gave us a tour and showed me the dam's walkway which was cool because it's just under the bridge. It was a bit scary but perfectly safe. We didn't go to the loud part of the plant which houses the huge turbines, generators and stuff. It was quite an interesting experience.

The dam's walkway underneath the bridge

The lowest part of the dam which is completely submerged in lakewater. It's the coolest part of the plant as well. It still feels like winter here.

Bull Shoals Dam

Jeff in action (push of a button to lower the gates down)

Powerhouse control room

Break room

Have you dreamed of owning a huge multi-storey, picket-fenced house with great home security system like home security redlodge, for example? Well, I’m pretty sure it’s part of everyone’s American dream. I think being wealthy comes with such a high risk for intruders so having a dependable security system at home is a must. We live in a quiet, small retirement community here. I like the fact that we could just park our vehicles outside, or even leave our doors unlocked and still feel secure and confident that no one would break in and steal stuff. But personally, I wouldn’t mind owning a great security system just you know to keep our minds at ease.

On a different note, I just wanna say that I think Netflix is amazing. I watch streaming movies practically everyday 24/7. We do have a www.localtv-satellite.com subscription with DirecTV, with Filipino channels of course but I get tired of it sometimes. Watching movies on TV is awesome especially when I'm feeding the baby. It's the best way to while away the time, don't you think? How about you? Do you enjoy watching TV and movies?

It’s summertime. For some, this is the best season to get into some outdoor activities or sports. Here in our area for example, we are close to a beautiful lake and people from all over the country that loves to fish, boat and swim would come here for a visit. For those that are not into water stuff, firing range and archery are some of the alternatives. You do need to get great bowhunting supplies though if you want to do this thing seriously. Some would just love to hang out outside their front porch and enjoy the free tan. Nothing wrong about that. Not all people love the outdoors but whatever it is, summer is the perfect season to do anything fun.

I know I gotta start working out pretty soon if I don’t wanna end up looking super plump. I feel inspired to try it out again because my skinny sister-in-law has been working out lately. She doesn’t need to really but she does, so I was like I have to do this because I really need to. I’m almost tempted to try nuphedragen, but nope, I don’t want an easy way out. Besides, I don’t really like to take anything aside from pain relievers. Heck, I couldn’t even make myself take my birth control pills, so I think there’s no way I’m gonna go for diet pills.