Friday Five-O #51 {An Old Friend, Dear Friends, and New Friends...oh! And Coffee!}

Good Evening, Lovelies!

I hope this finds you doing well!

I myself am exhausted...

Spring Break 2015 has begun at the YMCA

and for me that means more work

(how come I don't get a break on Spring Break?).

Here at the YMCA, we always say,

"When School is OUT, the Y is IN!"

So, basically, I will have kids all day everyday 

today and all next week.

Feel free to spontaneously bring me coffee and ice cream.

Anyway, enough about that!

It's now time for today's:

Last Friday night, my College & Career group 

had a coffee and game night at 3030 Coffee House.

This was the first time I had ever been in the place,

so imagine my surprise when I walked through the door

to find an old friend from my childhood.

Okay, it wasn't a person friend...

it was a large (as in VERY LARGE) stuffed black bear.

Let me explain...

when I was a kid, there was a small restaurant/hotel chain

in the area that my family frequented. 

It was called Jumer's. 

It was a very quiet, elegant place with dark, moody lighting,

a dining room complete with high-backed chairs

and curtains around booths that could be closed for private dining.

Jumer's served the most amazing cinnamon rolls

known to mankind along with a bread basket that included

homemade sliced white, wheat, and rye breads.

I always felt very grown-up when I visited there.

After we ate, my family would always walk through the meandering hallways

(did I forget to mention that Jumer's was a castle?

Complete with a locked tower 

that I'm sure Rapunzel lived in at one time!)

until we found The BIG Bear.

Apparently, Mr. Jumer was an avid hunter 

when he wasn't opening restaurants and hotels,

and had shot the giant bear and liked it so much he decided to keep it.

He had the bear stuffed and mounted in his Peoria hotel.

Jumer's closed down several years ago

and the castle was bought and turned into a home for Senior Citizens.

I always wondered what happened to the bear

that was such a fond memory from my childhood.

Well, I found him at 3030 Coffee House last week.

There he was guarding the doorway.

I'm not kidding when I say I nearly cried.

It felt like coming home.

Anyway, the coffee was amazing and everyone in our group had a great time!

I'm very excited to visit there again! :)

Saturday was CRAZY!

But it was crazy because LOTS of photography was done

so that made it fun!

First I was privileged to photograph a 1st Birthday

Mickey Mouse style for this adorable little guy!

The Birthday Boy was sweet as can be

and loved every minute he had in the spotlight!

After the birthday party,

I took several of my dear cousins out to Eureka Lake

to shoot their photos for ACTS Convention.
They did a GREAT job!
And I took the opportunity to snap some photos of them :).

Seriously...how COOL are they?!

Sunday my very own pink Grandma and my wonderful Grandpa
hand-delivered this hand-made pineapple/coconut masterpiece
to me as a belated birthday gift.

OOOOHHHH the Scrumptiousness!!!!

On Monday, I made my weekly trek to the Library
and checked out some Spring books for my little TJ darlings.
And am I glad I did!
I "discovered" the book "series" by Dianna Hutts Aston & Sylvia Long:
A Seed is Sleepy, A Rock is Lively, A Butterfly is Patient, and An Egg is Quiet.
These books contain amazing facts about nature
accompanied by Sylvia Long's gorgeous illustrations.
After flipping through these books,
I knew I was going to have a winner on my hands:
My TJ lovelies cannot get enough of these books!
So far, every child that has picked up one of these books
has poured over it for at least ten minutes
(and that's saying something with my wild bunch!).
I didn't hear a peep out of this little guy for nearly 30 minutes!

What am I talking about?!
I LOVE THEM TOO!

And, finally, I think it's official!
My little darlings and I have been bitten by the Spring Bug!
Despite rather chilly temperatures on Thursday,
we spent a good portion of the afternoon outside.

It was just a Blue Skies, Sunshine, and Bubbles kind of day! :)

How was your week?
Have you been getting out and enjoying Spring weather in your area yet?
Have you and your kids discovered any new books
I just HAVE to read?

I would love to hear your stories!

Thank you so much for visiting today!
I hope you come back soon!