Ohio 2006

If they can show retromercials on TV, the I'm taking the liberty to post some retro family photos here. It's not really a priority for us to have them printed. The digital versions take up less space, cost nothing, and can be accessed from any computer.

We took a trip to the Dayton area to visit family in 2006. We did some letterboxing, visited a Children's garden that was a sensory wonderland, and hung out with family. It's such fun for me to look back and see how much the girls have grown since then!

Lou'siana

Since I've been home for over a week now, isn't it about time I posted some of my pics? Yep, that's what I thought.
Aside from camera troubles frustrating enough to make me want to chuck it in the nearest fountain, I came home with some decent amateur photos. Enjoy.

A few thoughts about the trip:

• New Orleans has some beautiful things in it, and it is true that you could happily eat your way from one end of it to th'other, but it takes some purposeful obliviousness to navigate it without permanently scaring your innocence. That or buckets of Wassa's Eye Bleach.
• When the threat is real, I am indeed afraid of snakes.
• Live Oaks are just about the coolest thing ever.
• Friends you've never met before can turn out to be just as amazing as you hoped they'd be.
• So can their kids.
• Pralines. Yum.
• Worshiping with others "of like faith and practice" is awe inspiring no matter where it takes place.
• I want to go back.

Spoils of War

On our recent trip to Ohio, the girls and I stopped at an antique store named Benkin's in Tipp City. The store itself has a lot of interesting history and character (from furniture store/mortuary to general store). I have a particular weakness for antique linens and I scored big this time. Linens don't always wear as well as the sturdier furniture or dishes and it is always sad to see someone's beautiful hand-work stained and ragged from neglect. I love seeing all of the different techniques and styles. I came away with Huck and Swedish embroidery, crochet, lace, cross stitch and a few other interesting samples that I can't even identify yet. The most exciting piece was a pale yellow Hardanger runner in perfect condition. The prices were surprisingly low. I'm sure most of the materials were worth more than what I paid for the finished pieces. I'm not at all convinced that they are all truly antique, but I don't care. For what I spent on them, I can even afford to let M use some of them for her tea parties. You should have seen her eyes when she saw the Water Lily table runner. She loves water lilies and I knew she would love that one.
I hope you enjoy seeing my spoils of war (sorry I didn't iron them first).

Nitrocat's California Adventure

For my birthday, my parents gave me a plane ticket to Sacramento to see one of my brothers. Of course, Mom went with me and we had a wonderful time. I won't bore you with all the family stuff, but know that it included teaching my nephew to fake cough, lots of story reading, an introductory lesson on Fountain Pens, and some therapeutic gardening. It also included a letterboxing meet n greet and a day out with new found friends.

Amber Gillespie, of Gillespie Tribe fame, arranged a get together at Straw Hat Pizza. (Sorry, but you're going to have to look at my mug alot in this post.)

We were honored with a surprise visit from time-traveling enigma, OB Juan

Grumpy Grinch is actually two people, but you knew that, right?

Team BearCat made it all the way from Tennessee. It's so much fun to meet people that I have been exchanging postals and LTCs with for so long.

The day after the event, I hooked up with Doublesaj & Old Blue, and Princess Lea (below) for some Nor Cal letterboxing.

In the National Archives we got a Sesquicentennial stamp that has nothing to do with letterboxing! Have you ever heard of such a thing?!

Free Range Chickens running all over Fair Oaks, Ca. How fun is that?

And Ant Eaters in people's front yards. Illinois is so boring by comparison.

Fabulous day. Fantastic trip. But...it's good to be home. We are so getting chickens though.

Sam's California Adventure

Let me tell you a little story by way of introduction. Most of you are probably familiar with Boxing Buddies. And most of you have probably seen the commercial where the dad takes his little daughter's monkey on a business trip with him. If you combine those two ideas you will have a pretty good understanding of how Sam the Lion was created. My recent trip to Sacramento (sans children) caused a little bit of sadness (understandably) on the part of the 6yo. Her solution (which I thought was brilliant) was to send Sam with me on the trip, with a promise from me that he would go everywhere I went and get his picture taken.

So...

What is a trip to CA without stopping at In-N-Out?

Sam wanted to pick oranges from the neighbor's tree...

... got cootied at the Meet n Greet (another post on that later)

...Ate at Ludy's BBQ in Woodland. If you are ever in the area, this place is a must. Yummy!

...wrangled Crocodiles...

... helped fly the plane home...(ps-I Love you, Southwest!)

...and finally tired himself out.

There are several obvious advantages to vacationing with a stuffed animal. You don't have to feed them, they never whine and you can stuff them in your backpack when they are a nuisance. They also represent a little piece of home that you can take with you everywhere and they remind you of your children when you miss them terribly. Thanks for coming along, Sam!

Seeing the States on a Shoestring

If you've never read any of Patrick McManus' works, you really should. Just not while drinking soda. According to McManus, there are several different types of panic. Of special interest are the Full Bore Linear Panic (FBLP) and Modified Stationary Panic (MSP). Go to the library and read about them. Trust me on this one.

Last night, I experienced what we'll call Sudden Onset Mom Panic (SOMP). It occured to me that, if we're lucky, we only have about 10 more years left with both of the girls at home with us. That's only 10 years to teach them everything we want them to know. 10 years to share all of the things we want them to experience. 10 years to read books, try new foods, visit new places, and laugh together.

Life does not end when the children leave home. I understand that. I also willingly admit that on a small percentage of days, the very idea of an empty nest causes me to start rehearsing the dance of joy in my mind. Yesterday was not one of them. Today is not either.

Wouldn't it be cool if we could find a way to take our two girls to see something in each of the 50 states before they left home? Just let that idea soak in for a minute. Images of historical landmarks and the wonders of God's creation immediately fill the imagination. Followed closely behind by the nightmare of travel exhaustion, a van full of fast food wrappers and the sinking feeling of hemorhaging money.

My parents went to Mammoth Cave on their honeymoon (therein lies a funny story for another time), mostly because my Dad had already been to most of the other typical sightseeing places on family vacations. My husband also has seen a number of the interesting things this nation has to offer. My own travel experience has been a little different. Yes, we did go on family vacations. I distinctly remember more camping than I care too (Sorry, Mom and Dad.). And I have been fortunate to visit a number of places on my own, including a two month trek in the jungle of Venezuela. So I have not been deprived in that department. But I've never seen the Grand Canyon (airline flights don't count), Mount Rushmore, the giant Sequoias, or Washington, D.C. I've never even been to Springfield.

All of this rambling has a point, I promise. DH and I have been discussing the how, where and when of helping our girls to experience a little bit of this great country of ours. All 50 states is probably out of the question. But if we could take one trip during each of the next 10 years, it would be a start. This is where you come in. I very much want to hear your suggestions. So, in the comments, please tell me the 2 or 3 things that you consider "must see" items in your state. We'll figure out the how and when.

Expect more on this topic. :)