My friend Trina is an archer. She lives and breathes archery, and has become incredibly involved in both the sport and coaching her sport over the past number of years. I keep teasing her that I don't understand how she can keep up with all of it and work a full-time job and raise a child. She really is a phenomenal person.
But she works hard for it all.
This year, she is involved in the Canada Games, but has put a little spin on it. She's blogging about the experience for the Coaching Association of Canada.
So, if you have a few minutes, check her out and lend your support.
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Spring Visiting
There are always more things to do around the house. Always. But yesterday was bright and sunny and a bit warm. It didn't feel like a day to do things around the house. Despite the chaos. So we made a few phone calls to friends we don't see as often as we like and ended up in Stratford for the afternoon and most of the evening.
We had a really good time.
Ray has known Scott and Carla since he was 14. Which starts to add up. I've known Ray 15 years now, and that's beginning to make me feel like I've known his friends for a long time...and most of them are my friends too now.
One thing I love about visiting with some of our friends and breaking out of our routines is that it makes me think in different ways. Consider new ideas, new projects, and even just new angles. That was what happened for me yesterday. By the end of the evening, it was happening fast and furious, which is part of what took us so long to leave! (And that part we are paying for today with bone deep weariness. Which proves we are no longer in our early 20s. Alas.)
Hopefully we can hang on to these thoughts and the neurons will continue to fire in different directions for a few days. Maybe I will catch a few of them. What makes your brain fire up in different ways?
Also, spring visits have begun and I am tickled to be looking into 6 months of outside time and time with friends near and far. Suddenly, summer vacation seems to be almost on our doorstep.
I guess that makes yesterday's visit a two-for-one!
We had a really good time.
Ray has known Scott and Carla since he was 14. Which starts to add up. I've known Ray 15 years now, and that's beginning to make me feel like I've known his friends for a long time...and most of them are my friends too now.
One thing I love about visiting with some of our friends and breaking out of our routines is that it makes me think in different ways. Consider new ideas, new projects, and even just new angles. That was what happened for me yesterday. By the end of the evening, it was happening fast and furious, which is part of what took us so long to leave! (And that part we are paying for today with bone deep weariness. Which proves we are no longer in our early 20s. Alas.)
Hopefully we can hang on to these thoughts and the neurons will continue to fire in different directions for a few days. Maybe I will catch a few of them. What makes your brain fire up in different ways?
Also, spring visits have begun and I am tickled to be looking into 6 months of outside time and time with friends near and far. Suddenly, summer vacation seems to be almost on our doorstep.
I guess that makes yesterday's visit a two-for-one!
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Raw Grief
I've experienced death before. Death of grandparents. Death of a friend's baby. Death of colleagues and people in my circle. I'm 35, so it would be odd if I had not experienced it. In fact, the last few months have been rife with death. It started with a woman named Lisa, who owned the bookstore that my husband loved going to in his hometown. He'd known her for about 20 years. I knew her in passing. Then my husband's cousin's wife lost her mother. We knew her too, but we were mostly sad for Karen's loss. My best friend from junior high, Kim, lost her mother suddenly to a stroke. My grief was deeper there. I knew Kim's mother well, had spent many hours in her home and under her care as a child, and she was my Mother's age. It hit home.
A few weeks later, we found out that an old family friend, one we'd lost track of, had passed away.
It's felt like every few weeks in the last few months, there has been someone else.
Last night, Ray and I went to see Avatar in the movie theater. I have other posts in me about that movie, but when I came home, my Mom told me that Kim had called. She'd heard just that evening that Rolly had died.
Roland Denis Ouimet was my eighth and ninth grade teacher. I was 13 when I met him. I had only been back in Canada for a year at that time. My family was the lone military family in that area, and there was little understanding for the places we'd traveled to and the life we led. I was bullied mercilessly. Rolly discovered that I loved to read, so he not only helped me to complete my required classwork faster, but then he fed me the books. I read more and more. Soon, I read through the entire library in our little school. He was creative; we had one day a cycle (we had a 7 day school cycle, rather than a Monday to Friday schedule) where we went to the high school in the next village and he got permission for me to borrow books. He spoke to me and guided me through reading.
He set me on the path that would lead me to do a literature degree and become a writer. He believed in me.
For a long time, Rolly was my teacher and then my mentor. Most of all, he was my friend. For almost 23 years now, he has been my friend.
And now, suddenly, at the age of 59, he is gone.
I am not sure how to process this loss. The grief is raw. I have no details. And I have no tangible way to say goodbye to this man who was a friend and a mentor. I feel like there are still things to say. Questions to ask. And I feel this grief in a way that is raw and encompassing.
A few weeks later, we found out that an old family friend, one we'd lost track of, had passed away.
It's felt like every few weeks in the last few months, there has been someone else.
Last night, Ray and I went to see Avatar in the movie theater. I have other posts in me about that movie, but when I came home, my Mom told me that Kim had called. She'd heard just that evening that Rolly had died.
Roland Denis Ouimet was my eighth and ninth grade teacher. I was 13 when I met him. I had only been back in Canada for a year at that time. My family was the lone military family in that area, and there was little understanding for the places we'd traveled to and the life we led. I was bullied mercilessly. Rolly discovered that I loved to read, so he not only helped me to complete my required classwork faster, but then he fed me the books. I read more and more. Soon, I read through the entire library in our little school. He was creative; we had one day a cycle (we had a 7 day school cycle, rather than a Monday to Friday schedule) where we went to the high school in the next village and he got permission for me to borrow books. He spoke to me and guided me through reading.
He set me on the path that would lead me to do a literature degree and become a writer. He believed in me.
For a long time, Rolly was my teacher and then my mentor. Most of all, he was my friend. For almost 23 years now, he has been my friend.
And now, suddenly, at the age of 59, he is gone.
I am not sure how to process this loss. The grief is raw. I have no details. And I have no tangible way to say goodbye to this man who was a friend and a mentor. I feel like there are still things to say. Questions to ask. And I feel this grief in a way that is raw and encompassing.
Friday, November 06, 2009
The Fragments of My Life
These days I don't think about my life as being fragmented, because I have lived in one house for 6 years and have my kids, work, and general life there. We have friends all over the place, but I don't ponder that part much. The thing is that I grew up an army child. I've mentioned it on here before, but I think only once in passing. There was a time where the concept of a home was so foreign to me and I struggled with that regularly. Where and what was home. But time has passed and Ray and I have created our own home. Which is nice.
I'm sitting a 24 hour drive away from my home right now at a friend's house. Ironically, my parents are about 2.5 hours away from me right now. And one of the houses I grew up in is 10 minutes away. If that.
I came to Manitoba to be with my friend Kim for her mother's funeral. It's fantastic being with her. Though I wish that the circumstances of my visit were different. Over the last few days I have seen old friends, some from way back and some from a bit back. And being here makes me think about being fragmented.
Part of me misses the big winds and beautiful open skies here. I miss my friends here. The life I lived on the Prairies for 6 years. And I go back further and know that there are other lives I have had in other places. When you move like that you really create a life in each and every place. You have to. You cannot go through life moving like that and pretend you are visiting for 2 to 4 years. You make a life. You connect with the people in your life.
The thing is that no matter how you move on and when you go back, those places and people are a part of you. And for me, having so many people and places means that my life is fragmented. And I cannot choose. So there are pieces of me scattered.
Tomorrow I am going back to the life we've created. I can't wait to be with my husband and hug my children! I am mostly there, but I will miss the life here on the Prairies that I am leaving behind.
I'm sitting a 24 hour drive away from my home right now at a friend's house. Ironically, my parents are about 2.5 hours away from me right now. And one of the houses I grew up in is 10 minutes away. If that.
I came to Manitoba to be with my friend Kim for her mother's funeral. It's fantastic being with her. Though I wish that the circumstances of my visit were different. Over the last few days I have seen old friends, some from way back and some from a bit back. And being here makes me think about being fragmented.
Part of me misses the big winds and beautiful open skies here. I miss my friends here. The life I lived on the Prairies for 6 years. And I go back further and know that there are other lives I have had in other places. When you move like that you really create a life in each and every place. You have to. You cannot go through life moving like that and pretend you are visiting for 2 to 4 years. You make a life. You connect with the people in your life.
The thing is that no matter how you move on and when you go back, those places and people are a part of you. And for me, having so many people and places means that my life is fragmented. And I cannot choose. So there are pieces of me scattered.
Tomorrow I am going back to the life we've created. I can't wait to be with my husband and hug my children! I am mostly there, but I will miss the life here on the Prairies that I am leaving behind.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Day Twenty-Six: Awwwwwww
I wish I had a little blinkie of a beating heart on hand, because I would definitely put it at the top of my blog today.
I've been away from my primary mommy board and Facebook for 26 days now. It's been a really nice break overall. I have done a lot in that time. And I find I miss my online friends. LOTS! Both ends of that are good. I'm starting to think about going back, and have been tempted the last couple of days. Very, very tempted.
Let me clarify: I am tempted to go back to the mommy board. I miss the conversations and the camaraderie. Facebook I could take or leave. I'll go back, because there are a few people who are really easy to get a hold of that way, but I doubt I will ever be as addicted to it as I was before.
Today my husband was commenting on a Facebook post of a mommy friend of mine and another of our mutual friends sent him a message saying that I need to come back. Which just made me smile from ear to ear.
So, for the record: I miss you too Michele! xoxoxo And I will be back. Soon. I promise.
But for now I still have 7 articles to write and friends who arrive in less than a week!
I've been away from my primary mommy board and Facebook for 26 days now. It's been a really nice break overall. I have done a lot in that time. And I find I miss my online friends. LOTS! Both ends of that are good. I'm starting to think about going back, and have been tempted the last couple of days. Very, very tempted.
Let me clarify: I am tempted to go back to the mommy board. I miss the conversations and the camaraderie. Facebook I could take or leave. I'll go back, because there are a few people who are really easy to get a hold of that way, but I doubt I will ever be as addicted to it as I was before.
Today my husband was commenting on a Facebook post of a mommy friend of mine and another of our mutual friends sent him a message saying that I need to come back.
So, for the record: I miss you too Michele! xoxoxo And I will be back. Soon. I promise.
But for now I still have 7 articles to write and friends who arrive in less than a week!
Friday, October 09, 2009
Porn and Other Random Happenings
Last night Ray and I sat and enjoyed porn. Yup, you read that right: porn. Actually, it's FOOD porn. Seriously...have you looked at the photos in some of those food magazines and cook books? FOOD PORN. I'm telling you. We were especially taken by Jamie Oliver's newest book. Those pictures ought to be illegal. I feel myself gaining weight just from looking at the photos. tee hee
It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. A time for excess food and friends.
I have two sadnesses right now: Jennifer and Eric and their family were supposed to come to visit us, but because their passports didn't come on time, they were unable to come. I know we will see them in a few weeks (when the US passport office decides to get off their collective coffee break and process passports for a change!), but I wish they were here this weekend. And tonight we are going to say goodbye to Lisa. There is a visitation, though the funeral will be private. So we are all going to Ray's hometown tonight. I will stay with the kids and hang out with some of our friends, while Ray joins a few of our other friends and says goodbye for us. We will all miss her. It's a different kind of "missing" than with our other friends, but a missing nonetheless.
And there are big blessings too.
Today I was grocery shopping with Liam. It's a school day for Xander and it was mighty peaceful to shop with one little boy. I was in the car between grocery stores (yeah, yeah I shop in two places...go ahead and call me neurotic) and I peaked back at Liam in the mirror. He was sitting happily in his car seat, grinning and watching out the window. And I had a moment where I almost cried. Not from sadness, but gratitude. I remember how bad things were last year. He was this baby who was always crying and we were having a heck of a time with food for him and me. He couldn't tollerate milk or soy. And it felt like a huge thing. I was in the depths of post-pardum depression too. Though medicated, so I was managing (the not managing part was over the summer, so by fall I was feeling better). But a year ago I didn't believe that Liam could be happy and giggling. I didn't think we would ever get to this place. And yet, the year has flown by and Liam has grown into a little fellow who laughs and ponders the world hard. He climbs on things and runs. He's starting to stomp and jump a bit. And he is WONDERFUL. I never thought that moment would come. So I cry a little...but just with gratitude.
On our way out of the grocery store an older lady offered to take my grocery cart to the corale for me. She told me that she could see I "had my hands full" and I laughed a little and said, "Not as much today. My older one is in school." And she smiled and said that she remembered how it was with little ones. I thanked her, and wished her a Happy Thanksgiving! But the best part was that I was right: they are not so full today. Not because of Xander being in school, but because time has worked a bit of magic: I have two healthy boys. And a lot to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. A time for excess food and friends.
I have two sadnesses right now: Jennifer and Eric and their family were supposed to come to visit us, but because their passports didn't come on time, they were unable to come. I know we will see them in a few weeks (when the US passport office decides to get off their collective coffee break and process passports for a change!), but I wish they were here this weekend. And tonight we are going to say goodbye to Lisa. There is a visitation, though the funeral will be private. So we are all going to Ray's hometown tonight. I will stay with the kids and hang out with some of our friends, while Ray joins a few of our other friends and says goodbye for us. We will all miss her. It's a different kind of "missing" than with our other friends, but a missing nonetheless.
And there are big blessings too.
Today I was grocery shopping with Liam. It's a school day for Xander and it was mighty peaceful to shop with one little boy. I was in the car between grocery stores (yeah, yeah I shop in two places...go ahead and call me neurotic) and I peaked back at Liam in the mirror. He was sitting happily in his car seat, grinning and watching out the window. And I had a moment where I almost cried. Not from sadness, but gratitude. I remember how bad things were last year. He was this baby who was always crying and we were having a heck of a time with food for him and me. He couldn't tollerate milk or soy. And it felt like a huge thing. I was in the depths of post-pardum depression too. Though medicated, so I was managing (the not managing part was over the summer, so by fall I was feeling better). But a year ago I didn't believe that Liam could be happy and giggling. I didn't think we would ever get to this place. And yet, the year has flown by and Liam has grown into a little fellow who laughs and ponders the world hard. He climbs on things and runs. He's starting to stomp and jump a bit. And he is WONDERFUL. I never thought that moment would come. So I cry a little...but just with gratitude.
On our way out of the grocery store an older lady offered to take my grocery cart to the corale for me. She told me that she could see I "had my hands full" and I laughed a little and said, "Not as much today. My older one is in school." And she smiled and said that she remembered how it was with little ones. I thanked her, and wished her a Happy Thanksgiving! But the best part was that I was right: they are not so full today. Not because of Xander being in school, but because time has worked a bit of magic: I have two healthy boys. And a lot to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, October 02, 2009
What day is it?
Oh yeah, day five. Good thing I have been writing it down, because I did have to go back and check. Plus, I keep thinking that today is Saturday. No idea why.
The first wave has left us. My parents were visiting for 17 days. Yup, 17. That's a looooooooong visit. Granted, we were away for a few days, then they were gone over last weekend for six days. Still, it ends up feeling like a very long time. And we have a very small house. I'll miss them (in a day or two) and will look forward to them visiting again. Hopefully not for a little while though.
Xander and Liam learned that they could live without us for a couple of nights. We learned that we miss them after one night, but the first night without them was GLORIOUS! Parenting is hard. Breaks are needed.
Speaking of which, with the stress of work and visitors and all of that, my cycle was a tad late this month. To the tune of 3 days. I even thought it had come a day late, but it started to, then stopped. The only time that ever happened was when I was pregnant for Liam, so I FREAKED OUT! I could have done with the mommy boards to freak on at that point, but I stayed strong, with the help of a couple friends. Thankfully, it was just a strange delay and all is on track. It made clear to me that I do NOT want another child at this point. I am not sure if I will ever want another one. Since I have that tiny doubt, we are waiting to make the decision permanent. Ray had a moment of thrill out of it though, so now he knows if we did go there, it would be okay. He wasn't sure of that before. We're both sleeping better at night now though. We're busy. Liam and Xander are fantastic, but they keep us on our toes. I wonder if true insanity would happen if we decided to go for a third child.
Anyway...
The next wave hits tomorrow. Ray's Mom has a pen pal in England who is visiting. They came 3 years ago and I got incredibly sick, so we missed meeting them. Tomorrow we will meet them. We're having dinner here. I am trying to clean up for it. Heaven help me. Ray is upstairs cooking right now.
Then next week Jennifer and Eric are coming for a Canadian Thanksgiving. Xander is already talking about "my friend Mason". We saw them at their place in May; for a brief look check this out. The kids had a blast and I felt like I knew Jennifer from way back, so I am looking forward to seeing them.
At the end of the month our good friends Karen, Bill and Braeden are coming to visit. Bill is running the Army 10 miler on Sunday, so send out some good thoughts his way! He's also going to run a 1/2 marathon while he is here. We were supposed to run it together, but my foot has been terrible and I have decided that 2 half marathons in on year are quite enough. I can't wait to see them too! Plus, we get to do Halloween together. Funny, we've had a few summer visits, a Canadian Thanksgiving, and an American Thanksgiving...now we are doing Halloween. Hey Karen, shall we do Easter or Christmas together in 2010? ;)
I've completed the work I had for September: 28 articles and one web page (500 words each). Lots of words! And I have a list of 20-30 articles to write for this month too. I'm waiting until Monday to start and enjoying my weekend!
And tomorrow I get to do the real Saturday.
The first wave has left us. My parents were visiting for 17 days. Yup, 17. That's a looooooooong visit. Granted, we were away for a few days, then they were gone over last weekend for six days. Still, it ends up feeling like a very long time. And we have a very small house. I'll miss them (in a day or two) and will look forward to them visiting again. Hopefully not for a little while though.
Xander and Liam learned that they could live without us for a couple of nights. We learned that we miss them after one night, but the first night without them was GLORIOUS! Parenting is hard. Breaks are needed.
Speaking of which, with the stress of work and visitors and all of that, my cycle was a tad late this month. To the tune of 3 days. I even thought it had come a day late, but it started to, then stopped. The only time that ever happened was when I was pregnant for Liam, so I FREAKED OUT! I could have done with the mommy boards to freak on at that point, but I stayed strong, with the help of a couple friends. Thankfully, it was just a strange delay and all is on track. It made clear to me that I do NOT want another child at this point. I am not sure if I will ever want another one. Since I have that tiny doubt, we are waiting to make the decision permanent. Ray had a moment of thrill out of it though, so now he knows if we did go there, it would be okay. He wasn't sure of that before. We're both sleeping better at night now though. We're busy. Liam and Xander are fantastic, but they keep us on our toes. I wonder if true insanity would happen if we decided to go for a third child.
Anyway...
The next wave hits tomorrow. Ray's Mom has a pen pal in England who is visiting. They came 3 years ago and I got incredibly sick, so we missed meeting them. Tomorrow we will meet them. We're having dinner here. I am trying to clean up for it. Heaven help me. Ray is upstairs cooking right now.
Then next week Jennifer and Eric are coming for a Canadian Thanksgiving. Xander is already talking about "my friend Mason". We saw them at their place in May; for a brief look check this out. The kids had a blast and I felt like I knew Jennifer from way back, so I am looking forward to seeing them.
At the end of the month our good friends Karen, Bill and Braeden are coming to visit. Bill is running the Army 10 miler on Sunday, so send out some good thoughts his way! He's also going to run a 1/2 marathon while he is here. We were supposed to run it together, but my foot has been terrible and I have decided that 2 half marathons in on year are quite enough. I can't wait to see them too! Plus, we get to do Halloween together. Funny, we've had a few summer visits, a Canadian Thanksgiving, and an American Thanksgiving...now we are doing Halloween. Hey Karen, shall we do Easter or Christmas together in 2010? ;)
I've completed the work I had for September: 28 articles and one web page (500 words each). Lots of words! And I have a list of 20-30 articles to write for this month too. I'm waiting until Monday to start and enjoying my weekend!
And tomorrow I get to do the real Saturday.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Wrapping Up Vacation
We are all home now, safe and sound. It took us a while to get here ::cough, cough, 3 hours at the border, cough, cough:: but we are happy to be home. One of the things about vacation is how good it feels to come home; that's how I know we are doing a good job of making our home a good one.
But before I get back to the usual grind and posting about that, I wanted to wrap up our vacation here too.
Our time with Karen, Bill and Braeden ended with a great night out at a nice Italian place. We had a bit of a wait before going in (nothing unreasonable), so the kids played outside on the sidewalk.
And once we got in, sat down, and started our meal:
We had a fantastic time. The food and company were fantastic! We can't thank Karen and Bill enough for their hospitality and the good times we had with them.
On our way home we made our way up to Philly to visit another friend and her family.
Jamie and Xander watching television together:
Rick teaching Xander how to roast a marshmallow over an open fire:
More fun with marshmallows (he looks like such a big boy to me):
I was sneaky enough to get a shot of Kristen with her mouth full of marshmallow!
Rick and Jamie roasting. Jamie is a pro!
Ray and Xander:
We had a fantastic time with Kristen, Rick and Jamie. And our time to leave came very quickly!
Our trip home was pretty uneventful. Xander has discovered the miracles of Scooby and Shaggy and spend the entire trip home plugged into the DVD player (bless the person who invented headphones!). We laughed a lot, because at regular intervals he would shout "Scooby-dooby DO!" and giggle. Liam was a rockstar of a traveller. So all in all, it was a good trip...
Until the border. Oh yes, I have yet another complaint about Buffalo, NY. We went to the Lewiston bridge, as it is the one we use most of the time. And the line was ridiculously long. It took us 3 hours to get over the bridge and cross the border. THREE. Seriously. Sheer volume. The nice guard we had actually told us that the Fort Erie bridge has 17 lanes (versus the 6 at Lewiston) and zero wait times. I wish we'd known that beforehand.
We're home now and getting back into the groove. We miss our friends, but had a good time and we are looking forward to our next visit.
But before I get back to the usual grind and posting about that, I wanted to wrap up our vacation here too.
Our time with Karen, Bill and Braeden ended with a great night out at a nice Italian place. We had a bit of a wait before going in (nothing unreasonable), so the kids played outside on the sidewalk.
And once we got in, sat down, and started our meal:
We had a fantastic time. The food and company were fantastic! We can't thank Karen and Bill enough for their hospitality and the good times we had with them.On our way home we made our way up to Philly to visit another friend and her family.
Jamie and Xander watching television together:
Rick teaching Xander how to roast a marshmallow over an open fire:
More fun with marshmallows (he looks like such a big boy to me):
I was sneaky enough to get a shot of Kristen with her mouth full of marshmallow!
Rick and Jamie roasting. Jamie is a pro!
Ray and Xander:
We had a fantastic time with Kristen, Rick and Jamie. And our time to leave came very quickly!Our trip home was pretty uneventful. Xander has discovered the miracles of Scooby and Shaggy and spend the entire trip home plugged into the DVD player (bless the person who invented headphones!). We laughed a lot, because at regular intervals he would shout "Scooby-dooby DO!" and giggle. Liam was a rockstar of a traveller. So all in all, it was a good trip...
Until the border. Oh yes, I have yet another complaint about Buffalo, NY. We went to the Lewiston bridge, as it is the one we use most of the time. And the line was ridiculously long. It took us 3 hours to get over the bridge and cross the border. THREE. Seriously. Sheer volume. The nice guard we had actually told us that the Fort Erie bridge has 17 lanes (versus the 6 at Lewiston) and zero wait times. I wish we'd known that beforehand.
We're home now and getting back into the groove. We miss our friends, but had a good time and we are looking forward to our next visit.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Amish, A Baseball Game, and Other Happenings
On Friday afternoon we got to my Aunt's house, just outside of Hershey, PA. Just in time for dinner, might I add. So much for getting there early. Our friends from Baltimore came up that evening and we all slept at my Aunt's house. Thanks so much to them for having all of us!
We had planned to go to the little town where my Aunt and Uncle lived when they first got married to an Amish sale on Saturday morning. My Aunt speculated that it would be good to get going for 7 am. Let me just say that you cannot get 3 kids who are 4 and under and their parents up and going for 7 am. It's not possible. Especially when the youngest is sporting a nice fever (which went for about 3 days and just disappeared) and was up and down all night long. So we actually left just before 10 am. My Aunt claimed that the drive was "about an hour". We wound our way through the wilds of Pennsylvania and I was pretty much convinced she was taking us back to Canada through country roads. It was at least an hour and a half later when we arrived. It was a beautiful spot, though I am not sure there really was a town. More like a couple houses and a schoolhouse. The Amish sale was a benefit for the schoolhouse and the proceeds help pay the teachers, taxes, and other costs. Ingenious! They had several auctions happening: one for plants, one for miscellaneous farming bits, and a large one for quilts that the Amish ladies had made. There were also a few small animals, set up like a petting zoo, which were auctioned off at the end.
And the FOOD! There was so much food. We ended up having roasted chicken legs, large containers of fresh fruit, and freshly made ice cream. The kids even rode the horse who was making the ice cream! (Well, he was powering the contraption that was making it.) Just before we left I bought some fresh donuts. Let me just say that their custard donuts were more custard than donut!
The Amish sale was fun, but much better for older people than the little kids, so we were happy to get going too. At the end of the day, we packed up and headed for Baltimore.
Sunday afternoon we went to a Baysox game. The kids had a blast! They met Dora, got to ride a merry-go-round, and then bounced in a bouncy castle. We had a couple of our other online friends join us there too. It was great to see everyone...maybe someday we'll get to watch the game too!
Braeden with cotton candy:
Xander and Hannah:
Liam "hanging around":
Sarah enjoying her ice cream:
The actual game:
Other than this, we've had some sleep issues (who can blame them, since we've skipped naps, had erratic bedtimes, and slept in many different locations), gone to the DC zoo, and had lots of good time with our friends.
We had planned to go to the little town where my Aunt and Uncle lived when they first got married to an Amish sale on Saturday morning. My Aunt speculated that it would be good to get going for 7 am. Let me just say that you cannot get 3 kids who are 4 and under and their parents up and going for 7 am. It's not possible. Especially when the youngest is sporting a nice fever (which went for about 3 days and just disappeared) and was up and down all night long. So we actually left just before 10 am. My Aunt claimed that the drive was "about an hour". We wound our way through the wilds of Pennsylvania and I was pretty much convinced she was taking us back to Canada through country roads. It was at least an hour and a half later when we arrived. It was a beautiful spot, though I am not sure there really was a town. More like a couple houses and a schoolhouse. The Amish sale was a benefit for the schoolhouse and the proceeds help pay the teachers, taxes, and other costs. Ingenious! They had several auctions happening: one for plants, one for miscellaneous farming bits, and a large one for quilts that the Amish ladies had made. There were also a few small animals, set up like a petting zoo, which were auctioned off at the end.
And the FOOD! There was so much food. We ended up having roasted chicken legs, large containers of fresh fruit, and freshly made ice cream. The kids even rode the horse who was making the ice cream! (Well, he was powering the contraption that was making it.) Just before we left I bought some fresh donuts. Let me just say that their custard donuts were more custard than donut!
The Amish sale was fun, but much better for older people than the little kids, so we were happy to get going too. At the end of the day, we packed up and headed for Baltimore.
Sunday afternoon we went to a Baysox game. The kids had a blast! They met Dora, got to ride a merry-go-round, and then bounced in a bouncy castle. We had a couple of our other online friends join us there too. It was great to see everyone...maybe someday we'll get to watch the game too!
Braeden with cotton candy:
Xander and Hannah:
Liam "hanging around":
Sarah enjoying her ice cream:
The actual game:
Other than this, we've had some sleep issues (who can blame them, since we've skipped naps, had erratic bedtimes, and slept in many different locations), gone to the DC zoo, and had lots of good time with our friends.
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