Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Away from home
Yesterday and today are the first times that I have absolutely hated being so far from home. Now I see why one of my friends refuses to ever leave Moncks Corner. It's hard to be so far away when something bad happens. I feel helpless at the moment. Anxiously waiting for my cell phone to get turned back on, so that I can make a phone call that is worrying me to death. Can't wait till Tuesday morning gets here so that we can get on the road to get back to South Carolina. I am really missing my GTO at the moment. I would be able to shave some time off of our trip.
Tales from the RV Park
My mom was nice enough to let us borrow her camper to come to Florida. But it’s a lot more like camping then I really want. The propane connections don’t work so we don’t have any hot water and I can’t cook inside. So we have cold water only, I have to use the coffee pot and the microwave to heat water for Andrew’s baths and wash dishes. We have a grill that I use to cook on. And I have a griddle that I make breakfast food on. The grill is great, but it doesn’t light when you ignite it, you have to use a lighter. The wind was blowing the other day and I couldn’t keep the fire burning, so Shane had to make a shelter to keep the wind off of the grill. So instead of camping in a canvas tent, we are camping in a really big box, with lights, electricity, air conditioning, and cold water.
The RV Park is made up of elderly people mostly. Everyone is friendly and even though they don’t know mine or Shane’s names, they know who Andrew and Jake, the dog are. They say hello to them as we walk around the park. One lady even saved the little story book that came in her Cheerio’s box for Andrew. And another lady gives Jake treats when we pass by her camper. And one other lady brought us a “Charlie Brown tree” that was given to her. They have golf carts, bikes and electric scooters that they scurry around the park on, and Andrew points them out every time one goes by. He loves anything that moves.
Our other neighbors are squirrels, literally squirrels. They are everywhere here. The park is made up of Spanish moss covered oak trees and palm trees. Yes, that is Spanish moss covered palm trees also. Some of the residents feed them so they aren’t afraid of anything, or anyone. You can walk about a two feet from one before it decides to run away from you. Before we left South Carolina Shane collected a bunch of acorns for me to use as decorations at our wedding reception next fall. It rained the day before we collected them, I know I’m crazy but I can’t see paying for something I can get for free and I don’t know when will be the next chance I get to collect them, so I needed to dry them out. I dried some of them in mom’s oven, but there are a lot that I couldn’t do that to. So I thought I could lay them out here and let them dry. Well Andrew likes to pick them up and throw them, little balls. So I decided since he woke up from his nap early that I would box them back up. It is very hard to box up acorns with a 1 year old helping. He kept running off or loading his dump truck with them and pushing it off and I would have to go fetch him. Then I was talking to the neighbors and the pesky squirrels were in my acorns. Do they get scared when I shoo them away? No, they load up first and then haul fluffy tail! And, we have a hawk that lives in the park and he isn’t afraid of people either. I walked up on him today and was about 5 feet from it before he decided to fly off!
The RV Park is made up of elderly people mostly. Everyone is friendly and even though they don’t know mine or Shane’s names, they know who Andrew and Jake, the dog are. They say hello to them as we walk around the park. One lady even saved the little story book that came in her Cheerio’s box for Andrew. And another lady gives Jake treats when we pass by her camper. And one other lady brought us a “Charlie Brown tree” that was given to her. They have golf carts, bikes and electric scooters that they scurry around the park on, and Andrew points them out every time one goes by. He loves anything that moves.
Our other neighbors are squirrels, literally squirrels. They are everywhere here. The park is made up of Spanish moss covered oak trees and palm trees. Yes, that is Spanish moss covered palm trees also. Some of the residents feed them so they aren’t afraid of anything, or anyone. You can walk about a two feet from one before it decides to run away from you. Before we left South Carolina Shane collected a bunch of acorns for me to use as decorations at our wedding reception next fall. It rained the day before we collected them, I know I’m crazy but I can’t see paying for something I can get for free and I don’t know when will be the next chance I get to collect them, so I needed to dry them out. I dried some of them in mom’s oven, but there are a lot that I couldn’t do that to. So I thought I could lay them out here and let them dry. Well Andrew likes to pick them up and throw them, little balls. So I decided since he woke up from his nap early that I would box them back up. It is very hard to box up acorns with a 1 year old helping. He kept running off or loading his dump truck with them and pushing it off and I would have to go fetch him. Then I was talking to the neighbors and the pesky squirrels were in my acorns. Do they get scared when I shoo them away? No, they load up first and then haul fluffy tail! And, we have a hawk that lives in the park and he isn’t afraid of people either. I walked up on him today and was about 5 feet from it before he decided to fly off!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Thanksgiving
We spent Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania this year. It was a long ride up, but I enjoyed it. I was happy that Shane finally got to see another little piece of my life. Mom played tour guide, I think she enjoyed it. We went to the Amish market, everyone one needs one of these! There was so much food and produce for sale. I saw Brussels sprouts; they actually sprout of the side of a stalk. And we found this different kind of cauliflower, it’s totally green, but it tastes just like cauliflower. And we crusied through the Sweet Lights at Hershey. Andrew enjoyed that. It’s a light show that you drive through. He sat in his Daddy’s lap and pointed and oooo’ed at the pretty lights. We took Shane to Chocolate World; he can’t wait to take Clay up there. There is a tour ride that shows you how they make the chocolate; he and Andrew liked that.
Gram took Shane and me to the horse races/Casino at Penn National. That was Shane’s first time at a race track. We went outside to watch the horses get saddled up and then we would come inside and watch the race. Its funny how into the races people can get. There was a table of old men, bent over race books with magnifying glasses and pens and highlighters, taking notes and comparing horses. I don't think they even watched the race, just discussed their books and the information in them. I told my mom that the Casino is the perfect old people daycare. You drop them off in the morning with a bucket full of pennies and then you pick them up that evening or the next one; it depends. You make sure that you tell someone to check on them every now and then and make sure they eat. PERFECT! Anyway, I did bet on some of the horses. I didn’t do well the first race and the second race I didn’t bet. But, the horses I would have picked didn’t do very well. So the third race Shane decided it was bad luck to look at the horses and we would try a different technique. So that race I bet $15 and won it back, using our new strategy. The last race I tried the same strategy and placed my bet. We watched them bring the horses out onto the race track, and I told Shane, there was a beautiful grey horse, I said “you see that horse? There is something about that horse” Shane said, “you can’t bet on a horse just because you like the way it looks.” I didn’t bet on that horse, and he came in second! Rrrrr…
We spent Thanksgiving at my Uncle and Aunt’s house with their kids, there are four of them. We drove up Wednesday, Mom and Gram drove up in one car and we drove up in another. Good thing, because Mom drove my grandmother's Cadillac and I thought Shane was going to run her over, haha! We stayed at a hotel that night and my cousins, who are all younger than me, came over the next morning after breakfast and we went swimming. I bought Andrew a bathing suite that has the little floatation stuff built into the top of it, for $5 at Wal-mart at the end of the summer season. He thought it was great. He is big enough to climb out of the pool and try to climb back down the stairs to get into the pool. He had so much fun watching the girls splashing and swimming and playing with him. He would get out of the pool and walk around and point at things and then climb back in. Afterwards he took a two hour nap and I had to wake him up from it, because he was so worn out! Matthew, my oldest of the four cousins, had a train set when he was little and the kids dug it out and set it up for Andrew to play with. He thought it was great, he played and then destroyed. He loves to pull everything apart or knock stuff down! You build it he will knock it over. The kids were great with him. They loved playing with him and he was captivated by them. The girls are learning to cook, so they helped prepare dinner and deserts. Everything was so good. Elena, the second oldest cousin and my God-daughter, loves cooking. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t turn into a chef or open a restaurant or bakery.
Shane met my other Grandmother, Mam; and my father, Paul, and his wife, Dawn; and Aunt Lynn and her husband Dale. Mam is famous for her pumpkin pies, so we helped her finish off the one she had left in the fridge. I tried my first home-made pumpkin pie this year. They didn’t taste exactly like hers, mine needed more spices, but they were pretty good for my firsts! Paul bought Andrew a Hess car, it has two race cars, one inside the other. Andrew loves it. I’ve been trying to teach him how to pull the little car back to make it go forward. He loves cars, trucks, tractors and balls. Anything that moves. And he has a pretty good arm on him for a one year old.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for my friends and family. Especially my mom, she has been great these last few weeks, very supportive to both Shane and me. Andrew has loved spending time with her. And I know she enjoyed bath time as much as Andrew did. I’m also thankful for Shane and Andrew. Andrew has been a blessing and he amazes me each and everyday. He is so smart, I love watching him grow, but I wish I could keep him a baby all the same. Shane seems to be my strength. I’m not sure how I can get through something’s without him to lean on. He might not realize it but he is my rock. I truly love him. My friends, thank you for your ears. I have been very out of it lately and have needed the support you have given me. And thank you Lord, you are there to carry me when I don’t think I can go any further. You have taught me to be humble, patient, caring and nurturing. I don’t know what I would do with out You in my life. You are an amazing God. I don’t always understand why things happen, but everything happens for a reason. It is up to me to learn from this and apply it to my life.
Gram took Shane and me to the horse races/Casino at Penn National. That was Shane’s first time at a race track. We went outside to watch the horses get saddled up and then we would come inside and watch the race. Its funny how into the races people can get. There was a table of old men, bent over race books with magnifying glasses and pens and highlighters, taking notes and comparing horses. I don't think they even watched the race, just discussed their books and the information in them. I told my mom that the Casino is the perfect old people daycare. You drop them off in the morning with a bucket full of pennies and then you pick them up that evening or the next one; it depends. You make sure that you tell someone to check on them every now and then and make sure they eat. PERFECT! Anyway, I did bet on some of the horses. I didn’t do well the first race and the second race I didn’t bet. But, the horses I would have picked didn’t do very well. So the third race Shane decided it was bad luck to look at the horses and we would try a different technique. So that race I bet $15 and won it back, using our new strategy. The last race I tried the same strategy and placed my bet. We watched them bring the horses out onto the race track, and I told Shane, there was a beautiful grey horse, I said “you see that horse? There is something about that horse” Shane said, “you can’t bet on a horse just because you like the way it looks.” I didn’t bet on that horse, and he came in second! Rrrrr…
We spent Thanksgiving at my Uncle and Aunt’s house with their kids, there are four of them. We drove up Wednesday, Mom and Gram drove up in one car and we drove up in another. Good thing, because Mom drove my grandmother's Cadillac and I thought Shane was going to run her over, haha! We stayed at a hotel that night and my cousins, who are all younger than me, came over the next morning after breakfast and we went swimming. I bought Andrew a bathing suite that has the little floatation stuff built into the top of it, for $5 at Wal-mart at the end of the summer season. He thought it was great. He is big enough to climb out of the pool and try to climb back down the stairs to get into the pool. He had so much fun watching the girls splashing and swimming and playing with him. He would get out of the pool and walk around and point at things and then climb back in. Afterwards he took a two hour nap and I had to wake him up from it, because he was so worn out! Matthew, my oldest of the four cousins, had a train set when he was little and the kids dug it out and set it up for Andrew to play with. He thought it was great, he played and then destroyed. He loves to pull everything apart or knock stuff down! You build it he will knock it over. The kids were great with him. They loved playing with him and he was captivated by them. The girls are learning to cook, so they helped prepare dinner and deserts. Everything was so good. Elena, the second oldest cousin and my God-daughter, loves cooking. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t turn into a chef or open a restaurant or bakery.
Shane met my other Grandmother, Mam; and my father, Paul, and his wife, Dawn; and Aunt Lynn and her husband Dale. Mam is famous for her pumpkin pies, so we helped her finish off the one she had left in the fridge. I tried my first home-made pumpkin pie this year. They didn’t taste exactly like hers, mine needed more spices, but they were pretty good for my firsts! Paul bought Andrew a Hess car, it has two race cars, one inside the other. Andrew loves it. I’ve been trying to teach him how to pull the little car back to make it go forward. He loves cars, trucks, tractors and balls. Anything that moves. And he has a pretty good arm on him for a one year old.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for my friends and family. Especially my mom, she has been great these last few weeks, very supportive to both Shane and me. Andrew has loved spending time with her. And I know she enjoyed bath time as much as Andrew did. I’m also thankful for Shane and Andrew. Andrew has been a blessing and he amazes me each and everyday. He is so smart, I love watching him grow, but I wish I could keep him a baby all the same. Shane seems to be my strength. I’m not sure how I can get through something’s without him to lean on. He might not realize it but he is my rock. I truly love him. My friends, thank you for your ears. I have been very out of it lately and have needed the support you have given me. And thank you Lord, you are there to carry me when I don’t think I can go any further. You have taught me to be humble, patient, caring and nurturing. I don’t know what I would do with out You in my life. You are an amazing God. I don’t always understand why things happen, but everything happens for a reason. It is up to me to learn from this and apply it to my life.
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