Walking for Pappy Bill

We made signs...

Dressed in our Penn State gear (Pappy Bill's favorite team)...

And met up with some coworkers...

To walk in this year’s American Heart Association’s Heart Walk. Steve and I raised money and walked in honor of “Pappy Bill” (my dad). Less than 24 hours after Ellie was born, my dad had a heart attack. We were on the same floor of the hospital for a few hours that morning. I will never forget how scared I was when my brother came running into my hospital room to tell me that my dad was about to be airlifted to a major medical center. We both ran through the hospital halls to his room, fearing that it might be the last time we got to see or talk to our dad. Very shortly after, I watched from my hospital room window as my dad was loaded into the helicopter and flown to the medical center. He had surgery a few hours later and remained in the hospital for several days. It was a crazy, scary, emotional time for our family, but we were so blessed to have my dad home in time to celebrate Christmas that year.

Today, my dad is doing wonderfully. He always jokes that he and Ellie have a date in common, and I guess they do. I’m just glad that God walked with us through those difficult days. I’m also thankful for the American Heart Association and the doctors and researchers who work hard every day to save lives.

So, in honor of Pappy Bill, we walked and waved signs and raised money ($330 to be exact). Thank you to everyone who donated to this very important cause:
Barb and Walt

Judy and Jeff

Gretchen and Jason

Wayne and Lori

Aunt Penny and Uncle Brad

Aunt Daphne and Uncle Marty

Pappy Bill and Grammy Linda

It felt good to give back.

Could You Say "No" to this Face?

How could I ever say no to this sweet little face? I do, of course, but when I see a picture like this, I am reminded that our children are only little once. I need to make a much better effort to say yes even when it would be easier to say no...

Yes to one more book at bedtime...
Yes to painting her fingernails green even though it doesn't match anything...
Yes to wearing dresses, even when it's cold or we're not going anywhere...
Yes to finger painting even though it's messy and time consuming to clean up...
Yes to playing Hungry Hungry Hippos one more time...
Yes to wearing princess clothes to the grocery store...
Yes to baking cupcakes, just because it's Wednesday.

I suspect that saying yes will bring more joy to my life as well.

Fall Decor

When I was little, I remember how excited I was each year when I got off the bus and saw our front window decorated for Halloween (or Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day). My mom used to decorate the house while I was in school and then hang a few decorations on the front window. It was so fun to come inside and know that our home was ready to welcome the season. So... in the spirit of tradition (and trying to live up to my mom), I decided to spend a few minutes decorating the house for Halloween / Fall before I picked up the girls from daycare yesterday. They loved it and were so excited. Kate took Ellie on a tour of the place, searching for pumpkins all over the house. She kept saying, "Come on Ellie...let's find more pumpkins." Ellie just yelled "Pumpins" and followed Kate obediently. I hope the girls will look back and remember the excitement of fall, and I hope they will have cozy memories of their home all decked out for the season!

Ellie is very attached to this pumpkin!

P.S. Did you notice my auction cabinet in the first photo? I found a place for it. I think I'll paint it white after Halloween so that it matches the cabinet (which Steve made and isn't very proud of, by the way). What do you think?

Summer Send-off: On the Boat Again...

This should be the last in my Summer Send-off Series. We have had so many cool evenings this week and it just smells like fall outside. I think I'm ready to let go of summer and embrace the crisp air and falling leaves.

So, do you remember how we decided that Summer is a Place…on the water? For Steve, that place is in Indiana (if you missed that conversation, you can check it out here). Well, for me, summer is a place on the water an hour and a half north of here. My family has gone boating there since the dawn of creation….or at least since 1975 (the dawn of my creation).

Every year, my dad cleans off the boat (the very same boat that I’ve been riding in for 33 years now), checks the engine (that part is new), and makes sure the life jackets and flares are all good to go. Then we schedule a few day trips to the lake. We have a routine, though I wouldn’t call it a well-oiled one. My mom makes chicken salad and chocolate chip cookies (or cream cheese brownies). There’s always cheese, crackers, bologna, pasta salad, and chips. Every now and then someone forgets the rolls (who would be that airheaded???). Of course, Steve remembers the beer. That’s his job, and I must say that he is very good at it. We always agree to meet at a certain time, and we’re always at least 30 minutes late (my dad and I are two of kind when it comes to being on time). My dad always wears this shirt (one that I bought him for father’s day at least 15 years ago).
Our typical boating agenda involves cruising at high speeds for about an hour (the girls love it and so do I, though those bumps are much harder to handle when you’re holding a baby – just ask my mom. She has a huge bruise to prove it). Then we usually find a spot to tie off, spread a blanket on the bow of the boat, break out all the food, and start eating. Then we swim (though sometimes, depending on how hot it is, we swim first and eat later). Steve likes to float around with his beer, but I noticed that he was having a hard time balancing his beer and his two life-jacketed children on this trip. I reminded him that the children were his priority! We feed fish and watch dragon flies and laugh about swimming snakes. We chase the kids around the boat and pray that no one falls overboard. We tolerate little girls who insist on blowing the whistles hooked to their life jackets. Then we take another boat ride and head back to the marina to load it up and head home. Things aren’t always the same, of course. Some years, we have camped and boated for two or three days straight. Some years, I refused to go boating for fear that all that bumping would hurt the tiny baby growing inside me.

Sometimes, we water ski and ride big bertha (a huge tube), and sometimes our boat is overflowing with people, including my brother, his wife, and my two nieces.

One thing is true, though. That lake has been the spot of many, many summer memories. Steve taught me to waterski on that lake. I went tubing for the first time on that lake. My girls love to swim in that lake. We have eaten hundreds of chocolate chip cookies on that lake. Steve and I have decided that we are “boat people.” We both love the smell of gasoline on the water. We love driving fast and feeling the wind whip all around us. We love jumping off the back of the boat and floating in the water. We love the thrill of getting pulled up on water skis. For us, summer truly is a place on the water…. and I can’t wait to get on the boat again!

Ellie's first swim in the Lake

Camping: A soggy story

We just returned from a weekend camping trip with my college roommates.

It rained. We got wet.

There were muddy sneakers and wet socks, soggy bottoms and dirty hands.

There were three cabins, six adults and seven kids.

There was one little boy, six little girls, and one smuggled dog in a pet-free cabin area.

There were campfires and good meals, scenic hikes (okay…not so scenic, but we did hike), and craft projects.

There were board games and marshmallows and men sitting on a tiny front porch, listening to the Penn State game on an AM radio.

There was a giant bouncy pillow and pedal cars, a hay ride and gold mining.

Oh…and did I mention that we had some good food? Seriously good food.

I can’t wait to do it again next year…we should be dried out by then.

Summer Send-off: Sidewalk Chalk

Here's to sidewalk chalk and it's many fun uses.

You can color with it...

Eat it...

And color your sister with it.

Summer Send-off: Saggy Bums & Buddha Bellies

Here's to the total cuteness of saggy little bathing-suit covered bums and pouchy little buddha bellies. I love little girls in bathing suits. Seriously, though...does it get any cuter than that?

Auction Deals...

Steve and I went to a local auction tonight. If you've never been to an auction, you must go. Seriously. It is fun and addictive. I love that competitive feeling you get when you're bidding on something and you're over your limit but you keep going because you just want to be the winner. My heart races and I get all giddy (on the inside, of course). On the outside I'm cool and calm (can you hear Lady Gaga in the background: Can't read my, can't read my...no you can't read my poker face).

We don't go to auctions very often, but we have gotten some fun deals. There was the $4 chair that Steve bought behind my back. I was chatting away with my friends and I remarked, "who would buy that ugly chair. " I couldn't stop laughing when I realized it was Steve bidding two feet behind me. He painted it and recovered the seat and that $4 chair looks great in our morning room. We bought a tree at an auction (a swamp oak, planted at our old house). We bought a skydiving experience at an auction for $20...that was a deal. And I'll never live down the time I bought a used mattress at an auction. Just a word of advice here...never buy a used mattress at an auction. I had to pay to get rid of that thing the very next day (weird smell - even for the guest room).

Tonight we got some great deals. I'm thrilled. Check it out:

I bought this great mirrored shelf for $17. I love it, but I'm not sure where to put it yet and I'm wondering if I should paint it white or red or some other fun color.
And this mirror was only $1. It's nothing fancy, but I was thinking about painting the frame white and putting it in Kate's room. Or maybe not. There's so many options with this one. Did I mention that it was only $1?

So...if you've never experienced an auction and want a friend to tag along with you, call me. I'll bring my poker face and my competitive spirit. We can laugh at the crazy auction items and hopefully, score some good deals.

Summer Send-off: Freezepops, a story of sharing and sisterly love

In this issue of Summer Send-off...freezepops, sharing and pesky little sisters (from Kate's perspective).

Thanks, mom, for this delicious freezepop. I love it and I will just ignore that pesky little sister and her attempts to take it from me.
Yes, Ellie, mine is better than yours. But don't even think about it, sister.Ughhh...I can't escape from you can I? Okay, just one bite and I'll hold your head to make sure you don't get too much.
Seriously, though...why won't she just leave me alone?

Summer Send-off: Deliciousness

One of my favorite things about summer is the fresh produce, and we have the cutest produce stand near us. I love this little place, because its vibrant and fresh and full of good things to eat (and I do love to eat, you know)! It is run by women of the German Baptist faith and I'm sure they are good cooks...much better than me. I visit often and keep hoping they'll invite me for dinner, but that hasn't happened yet!

Anyway, this summer we have eaten our fair share of sweet corn, peaches, peppers, and zuchinni (in the form of zuchinni bread...which we count as a vegetable serving in our house). This little stand will close in the next month or so, and that makes me sad. But on the bright side, my mom and I cut off 150 ears of corn and froze it so we can enjoy it this winter. I also stocked my freezer with 15 loaves of zuchinni bread and six bags of colorful, chopped peppers, sure to cheer up even the coldest, dreariest winter night.

Summer Send-off: Sticky Faces

As I was enjoying my labor day weekend and lamenting the end of summer, I couldn't stop thinking about all the great summer fun we've had this year. I love living in an area that has four distinct seasons, and I look forward to fall, but saying goodbye to summer is hard. So, as a summer send off, I'm going to post a few of my favorite summer things over the next week. Feel free to join me if you want and do the same on your blog. Let's consider this a last hoorah for sunshine and ice cream, fruit stands and freeze pops, shall we?


Here's to sticky ice cream covered faces and rainbow sprinkles...a true summer tradition.

Back to 1994

So let me take you back a few years…to 1994. It is a history-making year, for sure. Jennifer Aniston was introduced to the world on Friends, OJ Simpson was taking a little drive in a white Bronco, and approximately 300 students were graduating (including me) from our high school.

In the years since my high school graduation, I have grown in many, many ways (though, unfortunately, my bra size has remained the same. Thankfully, my feet are making up for it, as they have expanded one whole size since my high school days). Despite my growth (or lack thereof), I was still nervous about attending my reunion.

I think that big events like a class reunion (or birthdays that end with a zero) force us to rethink our lives. Of course I took stock of the last 15 years, and I was nervous that maybe I wouldn’t measure up. I bought three dresses, tried them all on (separately, of course) and forced Steve to take pictures of me so I could objectively choose the one I looked best in. I bought some “bra-fillers” (aka, fake boobs) from Walmart, and I felt bad that I wasn’t a published author or famous photographer.

But here’s the thing I have learned through this experience (very important…pay attention): Sometimes we’re too busy thinking about ourselves (as in…what will people think of me and my accomplishments, will they be impressed by me, will they think I have small boobs and big feet, etc.). It’s not about that at all.

Life is about accepting ourselves and our weaknesses (even laughing about them) and still loving who we are. Life is about being ourselves and being happy with that.

And you know what? Class of 1994…we didn’t turn out too bad. We’re proud of our beer bellies and sexy bald heads. We can laugh about our bra fillers and our crazy jobs (one person examines prostates for a living…I bet she didn’t dream of that back in 1994, but you go girl)! I found another Edward Cullen Fan (hey Melissa…I have something special coming to a mailbox near you soon)! Some of us danced in front of our classmates, not worrying about who was watching or what they thought of us…because we’re happy and we’re blessed and God has been good to us.

We showed pictures of our kids and some of us discussed plans to adopt. We talked about our jobs and our dreams. One guy told me he was an aspiring musician who was passionate about music…a guy who was formerly a football player and class clown, with no interest in band or choir. How cool is it that he found his passion? Another friend from elementary school is a police officer (she's tiny and cute and we used to watch Friday the 13th together and now she chases bad guys for a living).

I have decided that it’s okay that I haven’t “arrived” yet. And maybe I never will arrive, if by arriving I mean publish a book or tell my story to Oprah (though I think it’s okay to still pray for those things). But I’ll keep writing, keep praying, keep loving my family and my friends. I’ll laugh and dance and thank God for my blessings every day.

I’m grateful that my 15-year reunion rolled around…giving me time to reflect and to catch up with friends. I had a blast!

The ocean calls...

The beach trip has come and gone, once again. It is a bittersweet feeling to pack up and leave for home. Our annual trip to the beach is one of my family's biggest traditions. Of course, the condos change and the weather varies and there's always a new cast of characters along for the adventure, but there is also something very familiar and comforting about this family tradition and each year I feel the ocean calling me back to its shores.

When we drive down the main drag past all of the hotels and boardwalk shops, we point out hotels where we've stayed and restaurants that we like. The stories are always the same and at this point, Steve could tell you where I stayed when I was six and I could tell you where he stayed during senior week (all four years that he experienced senior week...and no, he wasn't a senior four times - only twice. Just kidding! But the guy did love senior week).

We always visit the little house on 25th street that is the place of many epic vacation tales, including the time my hair was permed so tightly that we had to leave the beach every day at 3 p.m. and start conditioning it so that I'd be ready to go out to dinner at 5:30 p.m. Or the time that I got strep throat and stayed in bed most of the week. Or the time that our car broke down and my dad had to carry me many, many blocks because I was wearing my "stupid shoes" (but oh...I looked so cute in those tiny, red Dr. Scholl's clogs).

These days we eat seafood at the Captain's Galley, dance to the Jim Long Band, shop at the Kite Loft and Edwards on the Boardwalk, and search for wild ponies on a nearby island. We eat donuts and steamed shrimp (not in the same meal, of course) and we always order steamed crabs and enjoy a long evening of crab crackin' in our condo. We shop and read good books and play in the sand and ride the ocean waves. Steve and I rent jet skis and fly around the bay for an hour of wet, salty fun (which had to be canceled this year due to bad weather...bummer). But, we did hit the motherload of all seashells, which was so fun to collect with the kids.

One of my very favorite parts of the trip is riding bikes on the boardwalk. I love that my dad and his brother act like little kids when they get on their bikes. I love that my niece Mariah once fell off the side of the concrete area of the boardwalk on her bike, right into the sand. I love riding my bike to the end of the pier and feeling the wind blow through my hair while I stare out at the ocean. I love that this year, my mom found a little yellow trailer to pull the kids behind us on the bike (it was sitting along the side of her road, for free...how great is that?). I love smelling the fries and the popcorn and the funnel cakes all mixed with the salty air along the boardwalk. I love making it to the end of the boardwalk and checking out the giant shark in the glass case. Every year we read the story about that shark and every year it feels new again.

The ocean is such a magical place. It makes me feel young and happy. It reminds me of my childhood and my parents and our many family vacations.

As much as I love the sun and waves, the salty air and ocean breezes, I love the traditions and the memories that we create here the most. I love the family and friends who share those memories. I love that our little girls will become part of these traditions, hopefully enjoying them with us for years to come.