Summer Vacation 2009 Part I Akron, OH

So we had planned to take a summer vacation in June when school let out, but my ENT/Cranial Facial Plastic Surgeon thought differently. I have had some on going sinus problems and I had to have surgery in June. By August I was sufficiently healed and we were really in need of a get away. Clint and I have been wanting to visit VA, and NC in hopes of doing some early research on places to retire. My head will only take so many MI winters but at the same time we need a place where my Irish-American husband won’t die from skin cancer or melt. We are thinking NC or VA might be just the ticket but haven’t visited enough to know. One of my areas of interest is history- I have a history teaching cert. even though I mostly teach communications. VA, and NC are full of Revolutionary War and Civil War history. We loaded up our mini-van, plugged in the DVD player with Baby Einstein for Caelun, Abbi brought her friend Perry, and we headed south. We didn’t make it to NC but we got a good feel for VA and we really liked it. NC is for the next time I guess. The first leg brought us as far as Akron, OH where my HS friend Jen Dunkel lives. She met us at our hotel, which had a REALLY cool pool the kids all thoroughly enjoyed and then we went out for some amazing burgers at a local burger place Jen knew about. It was a nice start to a nice vacation.

Me Jen, and Caelun at the pool.

Abbi looking cool in the pool.

The wonder twins- Abbi and Perry.

  

Caelun and Clint also thought the pool was nifty.

A day at the park

We have a wonderful little park – Riggle Park-kitty corner across the street from our house. Both the kids like to hang out there but Abbi can go on her own. Caelun will climb in the stroller when he wants to go for a ride which is what he did on this particular day- off to the park we headed. He climbed all the way to the top of the tornado slide and slide down several times. I didn’t get any pictures past the first step because once I saw he was really going to do it I had to follow him. Gosh I forgot how much fun a tornado slide is. It gives me yet more reasons to enjoy having kids. I wouldn’t have thought to take time out of my “productive” day to walk to the park and go down the tornado slide. So thank you Caelun for taking mommy to the park and taking her on the slide.

This is Cae-Cae’s way of saying “Let’s go for a walk!”

“That is one BIG duck- mom I don’t think he would fit even in our big bath tub.”

“Race car- vrooom!”

“Look I am petting the horse”

 

“Now that I went down can’t I get back up this way?”

 

“Ready or not mommy- here I go!”

Shoveling Sand

Caelun was in need of a sand box. Here in west Michigan sand is not usually hard to come by but we actually- thanks to several hundred years of built up leaf mulch have glorious black dirt at our abode. This black dirt is great for gardening but not so great for 2 year olds to play in. Well some times it is (wink) but we decided the child really needed a proper sand box. Off we headed to my dad’s where sand is abundant. A dozen 5 gallon buckets later we had sand for a sand box- and boy does Caelun love it!

 

Caelun helps grandpa Bob fill the buckets.

 

Cae-Cae is an equal opportunity helper- he gives dad a hand.

  The sand in it’s new home-I think we need one more load

How wonderfully that sand can fly!

In The Pink

So my dear daughter decided she wanted pink hair. Yes you heard me PINK. I and my husband’s philosophy on this is do it now because you can't do it when you are older and have to be able to get a real job. We draw the line at anything permanent or dangerous. Thus no piercings or tattoos but this is after all, just hair. She had to buy the coloring. We pay for hair cuts but not this, so she bought the dye with her own money. I did offer to help, not that I have had much experience with dying hair any color much less pink but here we go. My friend and neighbor across the street and I were comparing notes. Her 15 year old son wanted red tips on his faux hawk. As she said “How do I know what I am doing? I have never dyed a faux hawk before.” Touche. I think it turned out pretty cute. You be the judge.

The dye- Nuclear Pink

 

The application

The waiting

The end result.

I thinks she is gorgeous- pink hair, brown hair, – heck no hair.

August 2009 book- Three Cups Of Tea

Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin have made a most amazing account of how one person can really change the world. Mortenson took a failed climbing attempt at K2 and turned it into a life’s mission to educate girls in central Asia. That journey is detailed in this incredibly inspiring book. Relin who tells the tale of Mortenson’s life does a wonderful job of keeping Mortenson human. He shows him with all his flaws as well as his single minded desire to move mountains- literally- to bring education to girls in these rural areas. Our club gave it a unanimous five stars. Read this book it will change your life. I for one wrote this guy a check. Check out the organization at this https://www.ikat.org/

July 2009 book- The Screwtape Letters

July’s book was The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I hate this book. I don’t say that very often but I really hate this book. I didn’t like it when I read it when I was fifteen and I really don’t like it now. It is whiney and malicious. The club hated it as well. We considered giving it a zero and then settled on a one. It is by consensus the worst book we have read as a club. On to August.

June 2009 book- Under The Tuscan Sun

I am going to preface this book club entry by telling you Under the Tuscan Sun by Francis Mayes I one of my personal favorite books. I have probably read this book a half a dozen times. I can relate to her story in a very personal way. It is almost as if she lives a parallel life to me in many ways. She is a teacher as am I. She went through a very painful divorce she didn’t ask for – as did I. She married again to another teacher- as have I. Her and her husband bought a very old house in Italy and restored it to live in. Our house is not quite as old- only 180 years and is in Cedar Springs, but you get the idea. It is a story about recovery and reinventing oneself. I read it every February when I have begun to wonder if I will ever again see anything green. The book is full of gardens and recipes along with remodeling and rediscovery. The rest of the club was – so so on it. They just didn’t find the story as moving as I have. The over all rating was three stars. I was not dissuaded.I will be found again in February curled up on he couch with my head deep in a field of sunflowers and my toes in the garden dirt of Italy.

May 2009 book- Nine Parts Of Desire

I am WAY behind in posting book club. May was yet another Geraldine Brooks book. This makes four and also makes her the only author we have read that many books from. This book was truly amazing. It is, in my opinion, the most unbiased look in to the lives of women in countries controlled by Islamic fundamentalists, that I have read. You have a real sense the author respects her subjects and has a meaningful grasp of the complexities of their lives. I can see why she  won the Pulitzer. We gave it our highest rating of five stars. We felt we walked away with a deeper understanding of the Islamic faith and it’s role in the culture in these countries. It is highly recommended.