So I called Mary and Keith's school last week to make arrangements to have the bus pick up Keith from the sitter's house for the first month of school. Come to find out that Debbie's house--even though it's practically in my back yard--is apparently zoned for a different elementary school. The transportation department absolutely REFUSED to pick up Keith from Debbie's home--even though she's been running a day care for 15 years and hasn't had a problem having kindergarteners bussed before now!
The parents have the right to choose whatever elementary school their kids go to in the school district, but sometimes there is a transportation problem with the shuttling of kids back and forth (no room on the shuttles)--and sometimes if a parent demands a certain school--or even a certain kindergarten slot--then the parents just might be responsible for transportation. Well, Debbie's house has been on the line right between two different schools for a while, but both schools have bussed to her house no problem (older kids go to a bus stop, kindergardeners are taken straight to the door)--until *I* need it, of course. Now I could still have Keith picked up from the Scribner bus stop--but it's quite a long walk from Debbie's house. Keith can't possibly walk all that way by himself. And I'm not going to ask Debbie to walk him when she's got to drag a house full of day care kids with her every day.
So last Friday the search for new day care began. FOR A MONTH. How frustrating is THAT? I didn't know of any other at-home people who were in the school's bussing zone, so I started hitting all the day care centers. One had a spot for Keith, but no after-school spots for Mary. One had a spot for Mary, but no room for Keith. One didn't return any of my phone calls (how do the PARENTS reach them?) (and--it's too bad 'cause we "inspected" them last year and liked them). One was closed due to the fact that somehow or another a man snuck in last year and molested a four-year old in the bathroom (OH yeah! That's why the number had been disconnected! Yikes!).
Meanwhile, my union rep is BEGGING me to let her go to labor and management to force them to let me leave on Friday. You see, my co-worker also originally had the September 28 exit date, but she got another job and asked them to let her leave by the August 31 date instead. They agreed. My union rep's beef is that they should have offered the same date to ME--especially since I have more seniority! I actually thought the same thing when that happened. But at the time I was under the foolish impression that all my eggs were tidily in their basket and that I could afford to be a "nice guy" for an extra month and help train my replacement. I wasn't expecting THIS. I told her to hold back until I had exhausted ALL my resources.
John and I put our heads together again. He said he could probably pick up the kids as long as I found a place to take them both in the morning. So I called back the center that could take Keith to see if they could take Mary in the mornings. "Well, we do have a spot open, but it was promised to another family. They have until the end of the day to confirm it. We'll call you back tomorrow." Fine. All morning yesterday I waited for them to call me back. Nothing. I called them around 11:00. "OH! We're having one of THOSE mornings! We haven't even had time to meet and discuss it yet! We'll call you back in about twenty minutes."
Tuesday is one of my busiest days at work, so I didn't have time to call them again until around 3:30. "OH! Well, the director isn't at her desk right now! But I think we've made a decision." [on hold for five minutes] "OK, well, the director is out with the kids right now, so I'll just tell you that we decided that we could take her!"
GRRR....
So last night I went to the day care center (and it's a Lutheran Church, how ironic is that) to sign all the paperwork. Great! $50 registration fee. Great! They demand payment UP-FRONT on the first day every week (which is only truly a hardship the first week--as I'll have just made a payment to my OTHER provider the Friday previous). (And don't get me started on how much they charge for a half day and a couple of hours care.) Whatever.
So today the center calls to tell me that I didn't put down the dates the kids were going to start going there (I specifically remembering doing that on ONE of the million forms I had to fill out--just apparently NOT on the form they wanted it on). AND I didn't write down the approximate time of drop-off (I don't remember seeing a blank for that on ANY of the forms). "Oh, and you forgot to pay your registrations feeS." Fees? "Yes, it's $50 PER CHILD." OI VEY!
I'm REALLY wishing I had taken Sue's advice and just demanded to leave Friday. This is more expensive and more hassle than it's really worth for me to just be a "nice guy" to a company I only got to leave just so that they wouldn't have to lay off someone else.....FOR A FREAKIN' MONTH!!!
I demand LOBSTER with my steak at my company luncheon now, Thank you very much!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Darian [urp!] Lake
Our friends Dave and Leona got some free tickets to go to Darian Lake when they bought their season passes and bestowed them upon us. Up until the end of last summer, Darian Lake was owned by Six Flags. Apparently Six Flags decided to drop them, but the amusement park is still running--just for cheaper tickets AND without the Looney Tunes theme (and no more "freaky guy doin' that freaky dance" commercials).
Last Sunday, we set out to meet our friends at the park. We headed out later than intended and then John and I were talking and missed our exit. The kids were getting quite impatient, but we finally found the place and met Dave and Leona at the water park. All played in the wave pool and a few of the other water attractions. Then it was getting to be around 2:00, and we were all hungry, so we got some hamburgers and hot dogs at the concession stand. $35.00 for two hot dogs, two hamburgers, two orders of fries, an order of chicken fingers, and ONE drink. Yikes!
Well, we ate and then decided to head to the kiddie attractions where Dave, Leona, and their kids were waiting for us. On the way there, we got on a couple of rides.
[Now, I had a problem when we were at Sesame Place (oh, guess I forgot to mention that) where I got very nauseous and had to back out of rides for a couple of hours. It was well over 90* that day and extremely humid, so I chalked it up to that. I was smart and sat down with Izzy (still in the heat, though--ugh) and drank Sprite and ate a pretzel until I felt better and was able to get on rides again.]
Well, the first ride we went on I was basically OK. It was kind of like a swing and went around and around. I rode it twice; I felt a bit dizzy, but not too sick. Then John and Mary went on the "Silver Bullet." This one not only goes around, it goes completely upside down, too. When they got off, Mary grabs me and begs me to go on with her, too.
Now, I was eyeing that thing with some trepidation, but since I made it fine through the other ride (and darnit! I LOVE upside-down rides!) I figured I'd make it OK. Big mistake. I was fine until the thing went completely upside down and the centripetal forces started pulling on me. When we got off, I was dizzy and a bit out of it, so I figured I'd better steer clear of those spin-ny rides for a while.
We got in line for the Ferris wheel. A big, huge one, too. It took forever to load/unload people on the thing, so the line was very slow. As we were standing there, I was getting more and more nauseous. I felt as if I were still spinning on that stupid Silver Bullet. I said to John, "I don't feel good." I started to feel faint, so I sat down. I felt better, I stood up again. I got dizzy again, and I sat down. Meanwhile Izzy thinks it's funny and is trying to sit in my lap while I'm on the ground (Oh, PLEASE stay off Mommy, honey!). Finally, I got a huge surge of dizziness and ended up laying down on the floor. John said I turned as white as a sheet (which is really saying something since I'm such a pale person, anyway). Within seconds, my portion of our $35.00 lunch was spilling onto the floor. Lovely.
The girls running the ride were freaking out and asking if they should get an ambulance. About 20 people asked if I were diabetic. Um, no, I'm not diabetic. I don't need an ambulance, I just need help OUT OF THIS LINE. Someone shoved a cup of water at me. Meanwhile, the ride has stopped and people are trying to get past us to get on the next ride. I'm moaning, "Um, watch your step, please!" Apparently the employees hadn't noticed my high-dollar lunch clogging up the line yet--they just thought I'd fainted. Finally the girls start yelling at the other people to stop so that they could redirect the line away from me and my pile of puke.
The medic shows, helps us out of line, and eventually puts me on the golf cart to take me to the first aid station. John and the kids were walked to it by another medic. The medic wouldn't let me leave until I had a bottle of water, my pulse slowed down, and my blood pressure got a little higher.
I think poor Izzy was a little scared at the site of seeing her mother sick like that. While I was lying down in bed, she kept crying to John, "I don't know what to do!" I wonder if she wanted to help me?
Mary and Keith were pretty good. Although they did keep asking me if I felt better yet so that they could go and ride on more rides.
After probably about an hour and a half I felt well enough to brave the amusement park again. But no more rides. I'm sure by the end of the day I could have pulled off one of the roller coasters, but I decided to just play it safe and be the boring "Izzy watcher" all day.
Yep. Learned my lesson. No more amusement park fries. And no more round-and-round upside-down rides. I'm sticking to the roller coasters now and THAT'S IT.
Dude--it SO sucks to get old.
Last Sunday, we set out to meet our friends at the park. We headed out later than intended and then John and I were talking and missed our exit. The kids were getting quite impatient, but we finally found the place and met Dave and Leona at the water park. All played in the wave pool and a few of the other water attractions. Then it was getting to be around 2:00, and we were all hungry, so we got some hamburgers and hot dogs at the concession stand. $35.00 for two hot dogs, two hamburgers, two orders of fries, an order of chicken fingers, and ONE drink. Yikes!
Well, we ate and then decided to head to the kiddie attractions where Dave, Leona, and their kids were waiting for us. On the way there, we got on a couple of rides.
[Now, I had a problem when we were at Sesame Place (oh, guess I forgot to mention that) where I got very nauseous and had to back out of rides for a couple of hours. It was well over 90* that day and extremely humid, so I chalked it up to that. I was smart and sat down with Izzy (still in the heat, though--ugh) and drank Sprite and ate a pretzel until I felt better and was able to get on rides again.]
Well, the first ride we went on I was basically OK. It was kind of like a swing and went around and around. I rode it twice; I felt a bit dizzy, but not too sick. Then John and Mary went on the "Silver Bullet." This one not only goes around, it goes completely upside down, too. When they got off, Mary grabs me and begs me to go on with her, too.
Now, I was eyeing that thing with some trepidation, but since I made it fine through the other ride (and darnit! I LOVE upside-down rides!) I figured I'd make it OK. Big mistake. I was fine until the thing went completely upside down and the centripetal forces started pulling on me. When we got off, I was dizzy and a bit out of it, so I figured I'd better steer clear of those spin-ny rides for a while.
We got in line for the Ferris wheel. A big, huge one, too. It took forever to load/unload people on the thing, so the line was very slow. As we were standing there, I was getting more and more nauseous. I felt as if I were still spinning on that stupid Silver Bullet. I said to John, "I don't feel good." I started to feel faint, so I sat down. I felt better, I stood up again. I got dizzy again, and I sat down. Meanwhile Izzy thinks it's funny and is trying to sit in my lap while I'm on the ground (Oh, PLEASE stay off Mommy, honey!). Finally, I got a huge surge of dizziness and ended up laying down on the floor. John said I turned as white as a sheet (which is really saying something since I'm such a pale person, anyway). Within seconds, my portion of our $35.00 lunch was spilling onto the floor. Lovely.
The girls running the ride were freaking out and asking if they should get an ambulance. About 20 people asked if I were diabetic. Um, no, I'm not diabetic. I don't need an ambulance, I just need help OUT OF THIS LINE. Someone shoved a cup of water at me. Meanwhile, the ride has stopped and people are trying to get past us to get on the next ride. I'm moaning, "Um, watch your step, please!" Apparently the employees hadn't noticed my high-dollar lunch clogging up the line yet--they just thought I'd fainted. Finally the girls start yelling at the other people to stop so that they could redirect the line away from me and my pile of puke.
The medic shows, helps us out of line, and eventually puts me on the golf cart to take me to the first aid station. John and the kids were walked to it by another medic. The medic wouldn't let me leave until I had a bottle of water, my pulse slowed down, and my blood pressure got a little higher.
I think poor Izzy was a little scared at the site of seeing her mother sick like that. While I was lying down in bed, she kept crying to John, "I don't know what to do!" I wonder if she wanted to help me?
Mary and Keith were pretty good. Although they did keep asking me if I felt better yet so that they could go and ride on more rides.
After probably about an hour and a half I felt well enough to brave the amusement park again. But no more rides. I'm sure by the end of the day I could have pulled off one of the roller coasters, but I decided to just play it safe and be the boring "Izzy watcher" all day.
Yep. Learned my lesson. No more amusement park fries. And no more round-and-round upside-down rides. I'm sticking to the roller coasters now and THAT'S IT.
Dude--it SO sucks to get old.
Par-TAY
The gang at work threw myself and my co-worker a "Farewell" party last Thursday night (SHE gets to leave at the end of August--this FRIDAY--lucky girl). It was the same ol' crowd there who always goes to the bars after work. John wanted to go, but we couldn't find a babysitter, so I went solo.
Had a good time. I even drank a beer and had a couple of shots. Amber kept getting shots sent her way and foolishly kept accepting them. I said, "Hey! We've got to work tomorrow!" Well, she got quite toasty and ended up sharing her shots with the parking lot out in front of the bar. At that point the rest of us figured it was time to go, so we shut down the party around 10:00.
And she's a YOUNG whipper-snapper, too! Sheesh!
Anyway, the bosses are taking us out for a Farewell lunch tomorrow. AND the company is throwing a swanky luncheon next Thursday, too. My job is getting wrapped up nice and quietly, and I'm still not used to the fact that I won't be here come Monday, October 1st.
Had a good time. I even drank a beer and had a couple of shots. Amber kept getting shots sent her way and foolishly kept accepting them. I said, "Hey! We've got to work tomorrow!" Well, she got quite toasty and ended up sharing her shots with the parking lot out in front of the bar. At that point the rest of us figured it was time to go, so we shut down the party around 10:00.
And she's a YOUNG whipper-snapper, too! Sheesh!
Anyway, the bosses are taking us out for a Farewell lunch tomorrow. AND the company is throwing a swanky luncheon next Thursday, too. My job is getting wrapped up nice and quietly, and I'm still not used to the fact that I won't be here come Monday, October 1st.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Scene from the day care
Izzy wasn't paying much attention to me yesterday when I was making several feeble attempts to get her to drag her eyes away from "Toy Story" and get out to the porch to put her shoes on to go. Leona, trying to see if making it a game would help, chimes in, "Hey, Izzy! See if you can beat Mom..." She was going to say "...out to the porch," but cut off in throes of laughter.
My precocious child had run not to the porch, but back to me--and started flailing her fists and feet in my direction.
Um, "NO, not BEAT Mommy! See if you can get to the porch first!"
Little brat. I'm still cracking up over that one!
My precocious child had run not to the porch, but back to me--and started flailing her fists and feet in my direction.
Um, "NO, not BEAT Mommy! See if you can get to the porch first!"
Little brat. I'm still cracking up over that one!
Friday, August 17, 2007
The Tooth Fairy is a Canuk!
Last June, Mary lost one of her bottom teeth. The tooth fairy was quite generous and gave her a dollar bill. But strangely, when John was getting up with Mary that morning, she showed him the dollar AND two Canadian quarters the fairy left her! Amazing! The dollar MULTIPLIED: AND into Canadian money, too!
We let Mary know, with very carefully phrased wording (er, I least I *think* so anyway) that we knew the Tooth Fairy wouldn't leave Canadian money, and if Mary wants extra change from our change mug, she needs to talk to us first.
So last night Mary lost one of her front teeth (oh! so cute!). This morning when I woke her up, Mary hesitantly picked up her pillow to find the four quarters the Tooth Fairy very quickly deposited there last night instead of a boring dollar (Mary still only vaguely understands money--last time she really did think two quarters was worth more than that flimsy piece of paper--hence the breaking into the change mug to get "more"). She's rifling through her pile while I'm attempting to wake up Keith. "Hey! One of these is Canadian!"
D'oh!
"Um, yeah--I can 'exchange' that for you," I tell her and quickly run to get one WITHOUT the "deer" on the front.
Yeah, guess the Tooth Fairy's going to have to pay more attention as she goes through her money bags. *Ahem*
At least the kid can tell an American quarter from a Canadian one now!
We let Mary know, with very carefully phrased wording (er, I least I *think* so anyway) that we knew the Tooth Fairy wouldn't leave Canadian money, and if Mary wants extra change from our change mug, she needs to talk to us first.
So last night Mary lost one of her front teeth (oh! so cute!). This morning when I woke her up, Mary hesitantly picked up her pillow to find the four quarters the Tooth Fairy very quickly deposited there last night instead of a boring dollar (Mary still only vaguely understands money--last time she really did think two quarters was worth more than that flimsy piece of paper--hence the breaking into the change mug to get "more"). She's rifling through her pile while I'm attempting to wake up Keith. "Hey! One of these is Canadian!"
D'oh!
"Um, yeah--I can 'exchange' that for you," I tell her and quickly run to get one WITHOUT the "deer" on the front.
Yeah, guess the Tooth Fairy's going to have to pay more attention as she goes through her money bags. *Ahem*
At least the kid can tell an American quarter from a Canadian one now!
Beer Bread
I'm posting this recipe because I thought some of the mommy bloggers who happen to come by might be interested in it....
Beer Bread
3 C self-rising flour **
3 T sugar
12 oz beer
Mix and bake at 350* for 45-60 minutes.
**If you don't have any self-rising flour on hand:
1 C self-rising flour = 1 C all purpose flour + 1 1/2 t. baking powder + 1/8 t. salt.
I can't even make the expensive Name Brand stuff without thinking of my buddy JJ--who introduced me to the stuff when we were in college.
Beer Bread
3 C self-rising flour **
3 T sugar
12 oz beer
Mix and bake at 350* for 45-60 minutes.
**If you don't have any self-rising flour on hand:
1 C self-rising flour = 1 C all purpose flour + 1 1/2 t. baking powder + 1/8 t. salt.
I can't even make the expensive Name Brand stuff without thinking of my buddy JJ--who introduced me to the stuff when we were in college.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Our Vacation
We left Sunday and drove straight to Sesame Place in Philadelphia. Let me just say, that this is a great amusement park for kids 7 and under. We went before--when Mary was 4, Keith was 2, and Izzy was just a bump in my belly--and liked it so much we decided to go again. It's very clean with lots of age-appropriate rides. It's a tad expensive--I think it's now up to $44.00 for ages TWO and up--but that buys you two-day passes, so it's a good deal if you use it. We got there around 4:00 Sunday and stayed until just about 7:30 (they close at 8:00).
We headed out towards the hotel. And had our first issue with Yahoo maps. After driving back and forth down the same road for almost an hour looking for our hotel, we finally figured out that the map was telling us to go the wrong direction down the road. What was really frustrating is that after we found it, we realized that one of the times we'd turned around--thinking we had missed it--we turned around just one office park next to the bloody hotel. If only we'd gone just a tad further!
Monday morning we woke up to a rainy, overcast sky (with the weatherman calling for scattered thunderstorms). Remembering that these were the exact conditions we were at Sesame Place three years before--and that there were hardly any lines for any of the rides--we decided to chance it. Mary was getting very grumpy about having to wait around for breakfast (this place didn't have continental breakfast, and we didn't rush around since we were on VACATION--HELLO!), and then she started complaining that her head hurt. We had packed several snacks for the trip, so I suggested she eat a pear or an apple. She gobbled down the pear, and we finally made it to the hotel restaurant (kids eat free!) for breakfast around 9:30. Well, she didn't want to eat (strange for her), and then she started complaining her tummy hurt.
After breakfast (of which Mary ate NONE), we decided to find a pharmacy to get Mary some Tylenol (she rused to take the kind I had on me, and we were hoping she'd go for a different kind)--and maybe some Dramamine. How come there is a freaking pharmacy or even a freakin' Wal-Mart on every street corner in America, but when you NEED one, you can't find one for MILES! We drove around forever. Meanwhile, Mary's moaning in the back seat. Finally we found a Rite-Aid. While John was in the store, Mary couldn't wait anymore. I helped her out of the van, and she did a Jackson Pollack all over Rite-Aid's mulch. There goes the pear!
Mary felt better. We convinced her to take a Dramamine (Oh God, you just don't want to hear about the drama of getting that child to take medicine). Thinking it was just waiting to eat too long making her queasy (plus the horrible, horrible heat, plus the motion sickness of the car), we piled back into the car and started heading to Sesame Place again. On the drive over, Mary's tummy starts acting up again. I threw a grocery bag to her. She was filling it up as we were paying the ridiculous parking fee to get in. Well, there went the meds.
Mary was fine the instant we walked in the park. We suggested she wait a half hour or so before going on rides, but she wasn't having it. She and John got on the Super Grover roller coaster the minute we walked in. And she was fine the rest of the day. (Thank goodness).
We didn't leave the park until almost 7:30 again and then headed for our next destination: Absecon, New Jersey. John found a decent price on a hotel there--and it's only about an hour from Ocean City. Once again, Yahoo maps let us down as upon getting there, it took us forever to find our hotel as Yahoo maps got their directions (East vs. West) backwards again.
Tuesday morning we headed out to the beach (thank goodness this hotel had continental breakfast, so Mary could be fed the second she woke up). Of course, it ended up being one of the hottest days EVER! We stopped at a beach store and bought a couple of chairs and an umbrella. The we walked the boardwalk. Ugh! So hot! The kids weren't interested in the really neat stores and foods on the boardwalk--they wanted to get in the ocean, darn it! Well, John and I stopped our silly, touristy thing, and we all got in the ocean.
Mary and Keith loved it. Mary kept wandering farther and farther out, jumping into the waves as they came in. Keith preferred to keep a tight grip on a grown-up's hand--where he would swing out with the big, big waves--giggling the whole time. Izzy was fine at first, when we were in the shallow water. But she didn't like the big waves that would come in and almost knocked her onto her butt. John and I took turns holding her. She kept saying, "Pick me up! Pick me up! Don't drop me! Don't drop me!" What a great time we had.
Wednesday morning we headed back home. A short vacation, but a most enjoyable one. We're thinking of maybe looking into renting a house for a few days next year so that we can spend more days out there and maybe see a little more of the city and the boardwalk.
(Oh! On the way home, we had to stop in Philadelphia to get gas, and give motion-sickness Mary a slight break. As John is filling up, and Mary and I are standing around, I thought I felt something tickling my leg. Thinking it must be a fly or something, I look down--no! it was a praying mantis! After I got over the startle, I let him walk back and forth on my hands to show Mary. I was showing it to Keith through the window of the mini-van when the mantis apparently decided he didn't want to be a freak show and flew away. That was pretty cool, though. Startling at first, but cool!)
Maybe one of these days--hey, maybe after September 28!--I'll find the time and the energy to download the photos onto flickr.
We headed out towards the hotel. And had our first issue with Yahoo maps. After driving back and forth down the same road for almost an hour looking for our hotel, we finally figured out that the map was telling us to go the wrong direction down the road. What was really frustrating is that after we found it, we realized that one of the times we'd turned around--thinking we had missed it--we turned around just one office park next to the bloody hotel. If only we'd gone just a tad further!
Monday morning we woke up to a rainy, overcast sky (with the weatherman calling for scattered thunderstorms). Remembering that these were the exact conditions we were at Sesame Place three years before--and that there were hardly any lines for any of the rides--we decided to chance it. Mary was getting very grumpy about having to wait around for breakfast (this place didn't have continental breakfast, and we didn't rush around since we were on VACATION--HELLO!), and then she started complaining that her head hurt. We had packed several snacks for the trip, so I suggested she eat a pear or an apple. She gobbled down the pear, and we finally made it to the hotel restaurant (kids eat free!) for breakfast around 9:30. Well, she didn't want to eat (strange for her), and then she started complaining her tummy hurt.
After breakfast (of which Mary ate NONE), we decided to find a pharmacy to get Mary some Tylenol (she rused to take the kind I had on me, and we were hoping she'd go for a different kind)--and maybe some Dramamine. How come there is a freaking pharmacy or even a freakin' Wal-Mart on every street corner in America, but when you NEED one, you can't find one for MILES! We drove around forever. Meanwhile, Mary's moaning in the back seat. Finally we found a Rite-Aid. While John was in the store, Mary couldn't wait anymore. I helped her out of the van, and she did a Jackson Pollack all over Rite-Aid's mulch. There goes the pear!
Mary felt better. We convinced her to take a Dramamine (Oh God, you just don't want to hear about the drama of getting that child to take medicine). Thinking it was just waiting to eat too long making her queasy (plus the horrible, horrible heat, plus the motion sickness of the car), we piled back into the car and started heading to Sesame Place again. On the drive over, Mary's tummy starts acting up again. I threw a grocery bag to her. She was filling it up as we were paying the ridiculous parking fee to get in. Well, there went the meds.
Mary was fine the instant we walked in the park. We suggested she wait a half hour or so before going on rides, but she wasn't having it. She and John got on the Super Grover roller coaster the minute we walked in. And she was fine the rest of the day. (Thank goodness).
We didn't leave the park until almost 7:30 again and then headed for our next destination: Absecon, New Jersey. John found a decent price on a hotel there--and it's only about an hour from Ocean City. Once again, Yahoo maps let us down as upon getting there, it took us forever to find our hotel as Yahoo maps got their directions (East vs. West) backwards again.
Tuesday morning we headed out to the beach (thank goodness this hotel had continental breakfast, so Mary could be fed the second she woke up). Of course, it ended up being one of the hottest days EVER! We stopped at a beach store and bought a couple of chairs and an umbrella. The we walked the boardwalk. Ugh! So hot! The kids weren't interested in the really neat stores and foods on the boardwalk--they wanted to get in the ocean, darn it! Well, John and I stopped our silly, touristy thing, and we all got in the ocean.
Mary and Keith loved it. Mary kept wandering farther and farther out, jumping into the waves as they came in. Keith preferred to keep a tight grip on a grown-up's hand--where he would swing out with the big, big waves--giggling the whole time. Izzy was fine at first, when we were in the shallow water. But she didn't like the big waves that would come in and almost knocked her onto her butt. John and I took turns holding her. She kept saying, "Pick me up! Pick me up! Don't drop me! Don't drop me!" What a great time we had.
Wednesday morning we headed back home. A short vacation, but a most enjoyable one. We're thinking of maybe looking into renting a house for a few days next year so that we can spend more days out there and maybe see a little more of the city and the boardwalk.
(Oh! On the way home, we had to stop in Philadelphia to get gas, and give motion-sickness Mary a slight break. As John is filling up, and Mary and I are standing around, I thought I felt something tickling my leg. Thinking it must be a fly or something, I look down--no! it was a praying mantis! After I got over the startle, I let him walk back and forth on my hands to show Mary. I was showing it to Keith through the window of the mini-van when the mantis apparently decided he didn't want to be a freak show and flew away. That was pretty cool, though. Startling at first, but cool!)
Maybe one of these days--hey, maybe after September 28!--I'll find the time and the energy to download the photos onto flickr.
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