It's time!

#1 is off to camp today. Yesterday - once he decided to get his rear out of bed and grace me with his presence - we went through his trunk to check that he has everything he needs for 12 days of singing, acting, hiking, and having fun. I had to make sure he packed the essentials - like a toothbrush, socks, silly string and glitter hair spray.

He has been chatting with his camp friends on line and the last 3 days have been pure torture! They all want to be up there chatting and having fun rather than having to make do via computer. He was up and moving bright and early today - 6:15am. He'll have that car packed and be ready to go hours before it's time to shove off...

I'm sure that when we arrive at camp, I'll get the quick hug, the cursory kiss on the cheek, and be told that "you can leave now". THAT is what his summer is all about - friends and fun without the 'rents.

We'll see him again at a performance on the 19th. By then he might be ready to give me a real hug...

Wow - Time flies

We've started summer around here - complete with sleeping late (7am is late for me), seeing a movie, and going out for ice cream.
Today we're starting out slow...
A leisurely breakfast and lunch and then an afternoon at a friend's pool.
I should make some goodies to bring over, but...
We'll see.

Next week marks the first camp of the summer - LLB is off to play her trumpet at a local band camp for the week. She'll be in the Jazz group with her other friends as they are experienced musicians.

Me? I'll be driving her to camp and picking her up. I think a movie is on the horizon for Tuesday - The Proposal. Tuesday is $1 popcorn day, so we need to go then... Besides that, I've got to do some music inventory at the church one morning and band uniforms another morning. See - I'm always busy with something!

What We Did Over Break...

So last week was the kids' school vacation week.

On Friday afternoon we went to Academy Day to learn about the different service academies - they had representatives from all the schools in one place. It was informative and impressive. Both kids walked away wanting to see the Coast Guard Academy - who knew? I have to say, the guy was terrific and spent more than a few minutes with them.

#1 and I left there and headed off to to Shrine Mont for the Senior High Weekend. He and 3 other kids from our church enjoyed themselves immensely. LLB spent the weekend resting, getting rid of her cold, and controlling the TV.

I had to teach on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. I also had to ring handbells on Monday and Thursday nights. It's a busy week, you know...

We had time to go to the orthodontist for #1. He only has to wear his retainer at night now. He is a very happy boy! While we were out at the orthodontist, I convinced him that we needed to hit Target and World Market. (Hey, a shopping opportunity cannot be passed over.)

Tuesday turned out to be rainy and cold, so our trip to Annapolis was postponed to later in the week. We hunkered down and did some laundry. I'm sure we did something that was sort of fun, but I cannot for the life of me remember what we did.

On Wednesday, after my class, we headed off to the Circus after burgers at our favorite burger joint. #1 squawked that he didn't want to go to the circus, but we paid him no mind. We knew he'd have fun - and he did.

We took the car in for an oil change and hit the movies on Thursday. We saw Knowing. It was a thinker of a movie. We are still talking about it. If you haven't seen it - I think you might like it. After the movies, Mr. picked us up so we could get the car and then we headed out for dinner and more movie discussion.

On Friday we headed out to Annapolis so that Mr. and #1 could see the Naval Academy. We sat through the "why you should come here" lecture - the guy was terrific! We had lunch on campus and then took the tour. Our tour guide was kind of a fart and skipped some stuff, but LLB and I filled the boys in and showed them what they guide had skipped. #1 was impressed, but the amount of math required has him a bit nervous. He wants to keep his options open.

We stopped for dinner after fighting traffic for an hour and a half. We had some excellent college discussion. #1 is going to consider the Navy, but wants to see VMI, the Coast Guard Academy, Grove City College, William and Mary, and a few others. He loves structure and teamwork, so we KNOW he'd really fit in at a military establishment. He is worried about the math requirement, but I'm sure with some help from his teachers or a tutor, he'd be just fine. We told him he could even do summer school at the Academy to get the math done with a smaller class size and nothing else to study. He liked that idea. He is a good math student, he just gets worked up about it.

On Saturday, both children went to take their First Aid/CPR class. It was an 8am - 5pm class at the local hospital. After we dropped them off, Mr. and I headed off to the grocery store for a few things for dinner. We headed home to get some chores done before the kids were ready to come home. They enjoyed the class, but it was a LONG day. They both passed and can now go work at summer camp.

Yesterday was Easter. We spent most of our day in church. My bell choir played for the 8am in town and then I headed up to our church for the 9 and 11. LLB played her trumpet with her mentor and dear family friend (the Trumpeter of Jamestowne) for those two services - they did an amazing job! We ate like kings at coffee hour and then headed home for our own egg hunt and an afternoon of relaxing. LLB and I curled up on the couch under a blanket for some TV time while #1 checked his email and IMed some friends. Mr. did some work and went out for a run... (there is always one over-achiever!)

We had our Easter dinner yesterday evening with the Grandbugs. Our meal started with mimosas, shrimp cocktail, and some other munchies. Then we moved to the dining room. We had boneless pork chops on the grill - wonderful!!! Mr. used his new meat thermometer and the chops were simply amazing - they melted in your mouth. We had asparagus, green beans, cheesy potatoes, and hot croissant rolls. For dessert most of us were stuffed and just looked at the delicious cream puffs, but Grandpa had a couple and said they were pretty good.

Today the kids are sleeping in. It's their last day home. They will be back to the grind tomorrow. But, for today, we're keeping it simple - relax and enjoy.

Zebbie's Christmas Adventure

Most of you know that Zebbie spent his Christmas vacation in West Virginia with friends of ours. K picked him up on Monday evening and chauffeured him back to WV in style.

When he arrived at The Farm, K unpacked the car and brought Zeb in. Zeb looked around and took it all in. 9 cats... cool... 2 other dogs... no big deal... He watched B unpack his stuff and set up his bed. Then he promptly went in and relaxed. You know... the drive is long and lying down in the back seat is tough.

Now, I'm not a crazy dog owner, but it was Christmas and I wanted Zeb to have a good one. I sent a letter detailing his eating and sleeping habits. I sent packages of cookies and treats - all labeled as to when he gets them and that they should be shared with the other dogs in the family. I sent his bowls. I even sent his food in the rolling container I keep in my pantry - heaven forbid the boy should starve!

B and K got the biggest bang out of his froo froo bowls. He has the Southern Living set that I got for free for having a party. (Yes, that was the reason I had the party, but at least I didn't pay $50 for them, right?) So NOW she thinks - okay - knows that I'm a crazy dog person. Her comment to me that night on the phone was, "If I ever get to come back as a dog, I want to be a dog in your house! That dog has better stuff than we do!"

Zebbie won their hearts in a matter of moments. He slept in his crate exactly twice the whole time he was there. The rest of the time he was either on the couch curled up with them or in their bed curled up with them. That is what you call a spoiled rotten dog. B told me that she wasn't sure if he'd ever go back to sleeping in his create. (Trust me... he is back in his bed at night.)

Zebbie spent his days with B visiting the horses, walking the farm, or asleep on her couch. It's a tough life! (According to B, he did miss us. Every time a car went down the road, he stopped to look.) Zeb loves to walk and she walked him everywhere. You would have thought the old boy would have lost a pound or two, but all those treats I sent didn't help that situation.

He did show his quirky side... B was busy in the house and turned to find him missing. She searched high and low and found him curled up around their toilet. It's a good thing I told her that he does that... The next time he turned up missing she found him in her bed curled up under the covers. Now, I consider THAT bad manners, but fortunately she didn't mind.

I'm kind of surprised Zeb actually came home. They loved him. K could be heard in the background of my phone conversations B saying, "You can't have him back! He needs to stay here! He's our dog now!" After I hung up with B the day before everyone was due to arrive home, I told my family that I wouldn't be surprised to get home to find no dog and a ransom note on my counter with a list of demands.

Zeb had a wonderful vacation. He is looking forward the next time he can visit at B and K's. I'm not sure if we'll get him back next time, though...

The End...

We arrived back in town on New Year's Eve... We all had empty refrigerators and empty stomachs, so we thought we'd stop at our favorite local burger joint for a quick bite. After which we'd hit the grocery store across the street for milk, bread, eggs, and oj.

We pulled up and the place was empty but open. Mr. ran in to make sure they were indeed open. And they were. Except that when we went to place our order, the guy at the counter told us that they were closing at 8. (It was 7:45.) There was no sign on the door. There was nothing to indicate that that indeed was the case. He told us we could take out. We had no choice... we said okay.

Mr. ran off to get the groceries while I waited for the food with Grandpa. We put everyone else back in the car because they were seated under suitcases and such. We can't waste time getting into the car! We were hungry!!

While we were waiting, another couple came in. They were told - at exactly 8pm - that they couldn't order because the place was closed. Nothing like turning the paying customer away!!!

We got home and swilled down our food. It was delicious! Gram's burger was rare - exactly the way she likes it. She enjoyed every bite... Unfortunately, it didn't like her and 2 hours later, it came back.

Now, that's a really crappy way to end a vacation!

Meeting Renee

Sunday was my day to meet fellow blogger, Renee. Gram and I had planned to go to lunch to meet Renee and then do a little shopping in the afternoon since the rest of the family was supposed to be off skiing. Alas, the roads turned messy so they turned around and came home. LLB decided to join us rather than stay home with the boys and watch football.

Since I had met Daisy, FlipFlop, and Melli I wasn't nervous. Besides, it's like you know these people - you read about their lives every day. Renee was exactly what I expected! She is sweet nice, and just a terrific person. We chatted for hours but the time FLEW by!

Mr. and the kids headed out to Keystone on Monday afternoon. They had to wait for Nicole's new fridge to be delivered before they could leave. LLB learned that skiing in Colorado is far different than skiing in Virginia. Their green trails are like our blue. The mountains are bigger in Colorado and therefore the runs are much longer. She did her 1.5 hour run and had enough. Auntie Nicole welcomed her with open arms and a hot cocoa. Mr. headed back out to ski his butt off and had a marvelous time! His fastest time was 6 min. from top to bottom and that was in a full tuck with skis pointed straight down. That is not something you would ever catch me doing. I am a cautious skier. #1 has had more experience on skis than LLB, so he was out there shooshing and meeting people and just having a wonderful time. He got about 4 or 5 long runs in before he got cold and tired and went to find Auntie Nicole and Uncle John.

Tuesday we hit the Denver Mint. It was really fun! You have to arrive at a specific time with your reservation sheet in your hand. Getting in was almost as bad as TSA. You have to leave all bags, wallets, cameras, etc. in your car. You have to take all metal off and go through the metal detector. While we waited for our tour to start we saw coins from biblical times, coins from the early days of the US, and more. It was absolutely fascinating!

The tour was exactly 30 min. Our tour guide was a cute college student who was home on break. He was very knowledgeable and when we asked him about the security on the employee's end, he told us that it was very simple - No coins in. No coins out. It made sense.

After the mint, we went back to Nicole's for a quick lunch.
Then we went to the Science Museum. Mr. decided to do the planetarium show because he doesn't do Imax with the motion. The rest of us headed off to the Imax dinosaur show. LOL! His planetarium show turned out to be an Imax! He got to fly through a black hole!

We saw dinosaurs - it seems I cut the line to get into the dino exhibit. But, I never saw a line and I just walked in - followed another family. The rest of the family followed me in - after they got stopped by the lady in the hallway. (The lady who looked like she was just directing another family when I walked by.) The dino exhibit was cool. This dino is outside the Imax theater. You can't take pictures in the dino exhibit...
From there we saw all kinds of exhibits, but my favorite was the sign behind the bathroom door.

The views in Denver are simply stunning and the photos I took just don't do it justice.
Our adventures in Denver were fun. Mr. doesn't travel well and he was starting to channel his father again, so it really was time to come home.

Speaking of home, we still had to get there. The flight out of Denver was on time and schedule. No - I skipped the turkey sandwich on that flight. I actually had an apple walnut salad from McDo in the Denver airport.

On the way home we flew through Atlanta. Have I mentioned that the Atlanta airport is HUGE?! We had 2 hours between flights. We located the gate and went there. It was as far out as you could get... Gate E37. After we walked a mile to get some lunch, I decided that the gate was just a little too empty. I went and asked a Delta person if this was indeed our gate. I was informed that D17 was our new departure gate. We finished up our lunches and headed out. On the way, I saw an information desk and asked again. It turns out our gate was moved to B15. Have I mentioned that the airport is huge? They connect the terminals with a subway train.

When we reached B15, I went to the lady at the desk and asked if this was our gate for real. Yes... it was, "but they might change it again, so pay attention". Mr. was behind us since he had to pack his computer up, so I called him with the news of the change. He arrived within a few minutes. Once we boarded the plane, we were told that we were going to have to wait because of high winds here at home. 2 hours late, we took off. The plane we booked the flight on was a 757 - but we booked in April. The plane we were on had 19 rows... It was small... smaller than I would have like to be flying into 40mph winds. But, I know that the pilot wants to be home for dinner, too... so...

We landed with the smoothest landing of the 4 flights. Our luggage was all here. The wind - it was whipping as we waited for the shuttle to take us to our car. We were all pretty cranky, but at least we were home.

The story doesn't exactly end there...
But you will have to wait until tomorrow for the conclusion.

More Vacation Tales

On Christmas day, we opened stockings and presents at the rental house and then went to Nicole's for dinner. She made yummy hors d'euvres for us to munch on while she made biscuits, ham, turkey, and other delicious tidbits. We ate like kings!!!

Then we took a breath, unbuttoned our pants, got our forks ready, and chowed down on the most wonderful pies ever. LLB loves pumpkin - she was in heaven. Mom and I had apple and dad and Nicole went for the cherry. It was sooo yummy. I wish I had a piece of it now...

On Friday we took a drive to Colorado Springs. We wanted to see the Air Force Academy - which according to their website and the gentleman on the phone the day before Christmas - was supposed to be open. We arrived to find the weather cold and blustery and the Academy closed. That is not a very inviting atmosphere and it certainly does not make the kids want to attend. (#1 was not impressed and LLB is simply an Annapolis girl all the way.)

The campus is very nice, but it doesn't have the charm that Annapolis has. The chapel was open - it was really lovely. We took our pictures and headed back to the car where it was warm. From there we went to a coffee factory that turned out to be a tiny storefront with okay coffee. The day was turning into a bust, but we were making the best of it.

We decided to stop at the Cave of the Winds. (It was cold out so the Garden of the Gods will have to wait for a warmer day - like when we visit in the summer sometime.) The four of us and Gram signed up for the tour. We knew our luck was about to change when we read the sign:
At least there would be no obnoxious people or crying children to deal with down there!!
It was a fun tour with interesting caves and rock formations. My favorite part was the sparkling jewel like formations that looked like tiny diamonds. I like shiny sparkly things!! (Of course I can't find the picture...) We noticed that there wasn't a lot of color in the cave like there is here at Luray Caverns. That must have something to do with the minerals in the ground or something. It was a fun way to spend an hour!

The next day we did the tour at Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory. When you get out of the car, there is a most wonderful aroma - seasonings and spices and tea and yummy.... I could have stood there and just breathed it in for an hour - it was so wonderful!
While you wait for your tour to start, you can taste all the teas you want. They were so good! They also make coffee - who knew?? The vanilla hazelnut is delicious! (I would have brought some home, but my suitcase was full. Besides, I think I might be able to find it in the grocery store here. When I do, I'll let you know.)

The funniest part of the tour is when they give you all hair nets. We all looked ridiculous, but unfortunately, we took them off before we remembered we wanted to take a picture. So - you'll just have to envision us with hideous white hairnets. Oh... my... we were a vision - a dream... okay, maybe a nightmare.

The tour was great. My favorite part was when they let you in the mint room. The smell is divine! My sinuses cleared in moments. (If I worked there, I'd never have to worry about a stuffy nose - ever!)

After Celestial, we went to the Dushanbe Tea House. It was a lovely setting on a cold and blustery day. Unfortunately, the staff left a LOT to be desired. Nicole called for a reservation and they put us on the list. When we arrived, they told us it would be a few more minutes. An hour and a half later, I noticed that our names were on the first page and the hostess was reading names from the second page. When I mentioned that, she didn't even apologize. That bad behavior sealed it for me until when she sat us at the coldest table around she said, "This table has a reservation scheduled in an hour and half. I think you should have plenty of time to eat." Excuse me?!! That was beyond rude. I will say that the food was nice (except for mom's cold potatoes and my overcooked polenta) and the chai was yummy. When we were getting ready to go, the hostess flitted over to take our money. She really wanted us out of that table. I asked for her name. It is Kathleen. I will be emailing the Tea House to tell them of my experience. Not that they care, but... if you go to Boulder, take your pictures out front and then go find somewhere else to have tea and eat.

Next Stop...

The Colorado Train Museum!Mr. was like a kid in a candy store. He LOVES trains!
It was a very cold and blustery day, but Mr. was out there crawling all over the trains, taking pictures, and simply enjoying himself.

We saw all kinds of trains! Big ones and little ones. Garden trains and miniature trains. It was a terrific spot - it would have been much better on a warmer day, but beggars can't be choosers. This is a picture of Mr.'s favorite train - it had huge wheels - taller than #1!Mr. is such a scofflaw! He needed a picture of himself on a train, so I indulged him... Fortunately, we didn't get caught!

This is the Galloping Goose - a very rare bird....

I love this big old yellow train... It looks like it's coming around the bend.

#1 is trying to not get eaten up by the snow blower. Run, #1!!
Ella is sitting on a bench in front of the museum. She is so patient!
It was fun and the perfect way to spent Christmas Eve morning. LLB is NOT a train buff. Rather than put up with our silliness, she decided to stay back with John and hack on the computer, play some video games and hit St*rb*cks! Let's just say that she was the warm one.

If you are ever in Denver, take the short drive to see this terrific museum!

Wordless Wednesday

Fingers:
LLB's are in pink. I'm boring.
Toes:
LLB's are in the upper left. Auntie L's are light pink in the upper right. Mine are in the lower center. I love my red toes!

Bumper Cars

We drove to Montreal in our Civic.
Yes, it is small - especially our 6 foot tall #1 - but it gets 40 miles to the gallon.

It was 11 hours to the border...
When we arrived at the border the line was long - 1/4 of a mile long.
We knew it would be a long wait, but we thought at 20 seconds per car, we'd be out of there in an hour.

We turned off the air conditioner and opened the windows and sunroof.
It was a beautiful sunny and almost cool day.
The cars around us were all from Quebec.

The car in front of us was a Toyota Matrix with Quebec plates. It was brand spanking new. Very pretty, actually.

The driver of that Matrix was one who allowed her car to roll back before she went forward. Mr. took notice of that nasty habit and left her plenty of room. We figured it must be a stick shift and since the border crossing is on a slight incline... well, whatever.

We had been stopped for a while. Our Civic is a stick shift and Mr's clutch foot was getting tired, so he put our car in neutral and pulled the emergency brake to hold us still. This was the smartest thing he could have done.

We watched the Matrix roll back oh so slowly.
We expected it to then roll forward.
It kept coming - ever so slowly.
Mr. beeped gently.
Mr. beep beep beeped again.
And again..
And again..
And then... bump.

She rolled into us.
We motioned to her that she hit us.
She pulled forward.
She got out.
She inspected her car.
She said to Mr., "You are really lucky" in her Montreal accent and her way too tight jeans.
Mr replied, "Lucky? You are the lucky one! You rolled into us! That's why I was beeping."
"Oh! I did? I'm really sorry! I think I have been waiting too long."
(Yes, it was a long wait we'd been there an hour and then some, but does that give you permission to not pay attention?)
She hopped back into her Matrix totally embarrassed.
(Personally, I would have been more embarrassed by the tightness of the jeans than the bumper bumping.)
We gave her even more space as we crept towards the border crossing.
She rolled a couple more times, but caught herself.
After each roll, she glanced in the mirror and there I was looking at her smiling and shaking my head.

Note: Do not arrive at the border at 4pm when the border guards are taking 3 min. per car. Do not stay behind a silver Matrix with Quebec plates. She has a brake pedal, but she forgets how to use it - frequently.

Home at last...

What a week!

It was fun, but there is nothing better than a good night's sleep in one's own bed.

Mr's mom is very difficult to buy for. She has a teeny tiny apartment with very little space for "stuff". We thought long and hard this year and finally came up with a great little gift. We bought his mom a digital photo frame. We filled it with 750 pictures - those pictures include childhood pictures of all the siblings, children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and more. The frame also plays music. Mr. loaded it with cheezy old French music that his mom absolutely loves. (I'm just glad I don't have to listen to it!) The gift was a hit! She loved it. I'm glad because it sure was a labor of love to find, choose, and load that frame.

We had a terrific time in Montreal with Mr's family - we laughed, we told stories, we ate, and we laughed some more. We spent part of the week with Auntie L and the rest of the week with Uncle M. We are hoping they all come down to visit soon so we can repay their kind hospitality.

We only had one issue while we were there. Uncle P decided that he was going to be a pill. Our trip has been planned for months. We wanted to be sure we got to see everyone when we were up there.
We were supposed to meet up with Mr's mom and everyone for dinner as soon as we arrived in Montreal - after a 12 hour drive, mind you. Unfortunately, the 2 hour line at the border put a huge dent in those plans. We ended up stopping at Uncle M's (his house is closest to the border) for a rest and light supper. (Believe me, we could not have driven another mile at that point. We were beat!) Mr. immediately called everyone to explain the situation. They totally understood - well, except for Uncle P. It seems he didn't appreciate the change. (It's not like we PLANNED or even ENJOYED sitting for 2 HOURS at the border!!)
P refused to see us or even return a phone call for the rest of the week. Mr. called, left messages, and emailed to no avail. Mr. even called from a phone booth! Eventually Mr. got a hold of him and asked where and when to meet. Uncle P chose the most inopportune time and place, but Mr. was willing to go anyway - without complaint. The morning of the scheduled meeting Mr got an email... it seems Uncle P was simply too busy. Mr was disappointed. He really wanted to see and spend time with ALL of his siblings. He got over it pretty fast - there is not much that a smoked meat sandwich can't cure!

Me - I was so over P and his games after the first day! I've seen him do this before -- but that was when we lived closer and went to Montreal more frequently. We only get up there once a year or less now. The least P could have done was made some time for his brother. I'm not talking a whole day... I'm talking an hour for lunch or dinner or even just drinks and appetizers or something. And it would even have been our treat. As far as I'm concerned, it's P's loss.

The rest of us had a wonderful time! We rode the Bateau Mouche around the port of Old Montreal. We ate smoked meat sandwiches for dinner at 9pm one night. (Note: A little earlier would be better.) We had lobster at Uncle M's. We spent time in the hot tub. We laughed. We told stories. We toured. We rode the Metro. We all had a really nice time just being together.

P missed out.
So be it.

Soggy Bottoms

When Mr. got into the car yesterday morning, he was surprised by a soggy bottom.
It took a moment for dawn to break on marble head.
As he was trying to figure out what was causing that dampness in his nether region, he happened to glance up. His glasses got covered in rain drops and he saw a dark cloudy sky - not the sunroof that normally covers that gaping hole in the roof.

Can you imagine the sinking feeling he had both literally and figuratively... I can...

And, boy, am I glad that I wasn't the last person to drive that car!

Montreal - Day 1 - A quick post

We are in Montreal.

It was a two hour wait at the border - but that is a story for another time when I have time.

Today we did lunch with the family at one of our favorite local restaurants - Yes, I got the Poutine.

We toured old Montreal and got the kids' caricatures done. The guy who did them captured the essence of both of them - their eyes were perfect!

We did the boat tour - complete with a glass of red wine. Yes, I'm having a great time - probably because my family is plying me with my favorite beverages... As I type this, I have a Labatt's Bleue sitting within arm's reach.

We tried to hit a musical instrument shop, but fortunately for me and my pocketbook, it had just closed 15 min. prior to our arrival. I don't think I could have gotten either child out of there without a new professional level instrument in their hot little fists. My BIL insisted that they could just try and not buy. He's funny. He thinks he knows these children. I know that they would have found "the perfect instrument" and been devastated when we made them leave it behind. Nothing would EVER compare and I would, again, be the MEAN one.

Tomorrow is LLB and my spa day with my SIL, L. We are all excited to spend the day doing girly things. Personally, I'm looking forward to having my fingers and toes expertly coiffed... as I am not one to EVER do this stuff. I just hope I can get through it without totally embarrassing myself - I'm the most ticklish person on the planet.

So - if you hear about a woman who kicked her nail person so hard that she flew out the door - It was an accident. I promise.

Vacation

We are off to the Great White North - AKA: Montreal.

We are going to see family, eat poutine, get our nails done, and take in some sights. The forecast is for rain and cold until Thursday. At least we won't sweat to death like we usually do...

If you know of any sights we should see - indoors - let me know. Last year we did St. Joseph's Oratory and The Redpath Museum. In the past we've seen the Botanical Gardens, the Olympic Stadium, a couple of museums, and St. Catherine Street. We've done the underground shopping, and gone ice skating indoors. We are up for anything that doesn't cost us an arm and a leg.

I've got my camera, my gps, and my toothbrush. I've packed some clothes and I'm ready. We have books on tape for the car and our Nintendos are charged.

I hope to hop on to the internet while we are there, but I'm not counting on doing much more than checking mail. See you all when we return.

Oh - if you happen to drop in - walk the dog, will ya?

Vacation Day #1

It's Monday.
The children are on vacation this week.
They slept in this morning - so did I.
We are off to the mall in a little while to look for a ball gown for LLB.
#1 is bringing his money to purchase a Wii game. He's got cash burning a hole in his pocket, I guess.
We may do lunch while we are out and about...
Wanna meet us? Catch me on my cell...


Trumpet Update:
LLB played her trumpet in church yesterday - it was flawless and beautiful. She played Trumpet Tune and 4 hymns. The congregation was amazed - especially those who don't know her. She is a tiny thing and the huge sound that comes out of her trumpet is not exactly what you'd expect.

One of the older kids is home on break. He used to play the trumpet from time to time. When LLB was pointed out to him as "The Trumpeter", he said, "Wow.. she's good!"

(Why, yes, as a matter of fact she is good. And when you think that the child is only in 7th grade, that makes her phenomenal... thankyouverymuch.)

The documents you requested...

Here are a few of the photos I took while we were on vacation.
In Montreal we went to Saint Joseph's Oratory. Yes, it's a long way up...
Climbing the stairs: They ran... I walked.
In line at the confessional...
When we went to DC, we hit this museum. If you ever get to DC, you've gotta go here. You'll never look at people the same way again... Anyone can be a SPY!!! Now you know why I never show faces on this blog.

After lunch we decided to see this:
And this...

We also hit the air and space museum at the Smithsonian. They were having a paper airplane contest. LLB watched from the balcony.
It was a fun vacation, but now we are ready for a week of rest and relaxation. Okay, so we will all be fighting over umm.. I mean reading the Harry Potter book...