Inspiration in Unexpected Places

There is a woman at my gym who made me cry today.  Not a sad cry or a cry of pity, but a triumphant, joyful, and celebratory cry.  I do not know her personally, yet, but I have often see her walking around the track when I am running on the treadmill or using the bikes. 

Over the past few months she has been battling breast cancer.  I have watched her go through the same sequence as several of my friends -- wearing scarves to cover a bald chemo head, unnaturally pale complexion, strained expression, pink-ribbon clothing. I missed her for a few weeks early this summer, and then spotted her on the track again a few weeks ago, very gingerly walking around the track doing some gentle arm exercises, definitely recovering from a mastectomy.  When I first saw her, I thought to myself how awesome she was for coming out to the gym and getting back into the swing of things.  I also noticed a hat had replaced her scarf.

Last week, I saw her again, still walking around the track, a wee bit speedier this time, still wearing her hat.

Today, I saw her again, and then I think I witnessed one of the most amazing things ever.  She was walking around the track for a few laps, and then out of nowhere, she took off her hat, tilted her head back and beamed the most wonderful full smile I have ever seen.  I can only wonder what she was thinking, but I am hoping she was thinking that she is a champion and brave and strong.  With her hat now off and tiny hairs growing back in, she walked around the track, arms pumping, moving FAST.  Her smile didn't fade.  It was truly mesmerizing.  Had she caught my eye, I would have given her two thumbs up or a salute.  But, she was completely caught up in her own moment.  And I am glad I witnessed it. 

Aside from making me tear up on the treadmill and giving me some much-needed perspective on life, she reminded me that I had been delinquent in donating to my friend's 3-day breast cancer walk to raise money for breast cancer research. If you would like to make a difference too, you can donate HERE (3-Day Walk, Susan B. Komen Foundation -- click the pink button on top left). 

NCAA ELIGIBLE!!!!

After what felt like an interminable wait, but was really only 2.5 weeks, I just got the letter with my lacrosse rating --- DISTRICT!!!!  So, that means I am now eligible to umpire NCAA Division III games!  I'm very, very excited!!!  Let's add some more exclamation points!!!!  (Too bad lacrosse season doesn't start until 2011...)

Race Day

Yesterday was a big day for me, RACE DAY.  I've been training for a sprint-length triathlon for the better part of the year, and yesterday was finally the time to see if all the work-outs paid off.  I did the Patriot Triathlon held in Bath, PA.  The race was a 650-yd swim, 13.3 mile bile, and a 3 mile run, and I entered with one of our close friends (and Scott's long-time buddy from grade school), Kevin.  I have only ever raced one other triathlon, the New Jersey State Triathlon, way back in 2006 (pre-Ben), so it took some doing to wrestle my body back into triathlon shape.  

Overall, I am really pleased with how the race went.  I completed the course and received a neat finisher's medal (and also a cool vented running hat and wicking T-shirt -- excellent race goodies!).  It was brutally hot on the bike ride, even though the race started at 7:30am.  Fortunately, the run portion of the course was held on a shady road.  The bike course was described as "gently rolling hills", which were far from gentle as far as I am concerned, although maybe they would have seemed gentle if the temperature or humidity had been lower. 

After studying the race results in more detail, I was surprised and happy to learn that I won the swim portion of the race for my age group and also came in 5th overall for women on the swim.  However, even with a slick road bike, I dropped considerably back in the rankings in the bike portion (which I knew as I saw people whizzing by me during the race), so I will have to train harder and/or more frequently on the bike if I do another triathlon in the future.  The run went as well as I hoped it would, a pace 8:45 minute miles.  I ran a little faster back in 2006, but a lot has happened to my body since then!  After the race I even got to enjoy a fun family picnic up in the Allentown area, and after racing in the morning, I ate the best fried chicken of my entire life. 

So, what to do now?  Sign up for another race?  Kick back and relax?  I have to admit that I'm tempted to race again, even as painful as the bike ride was.  The Marshman Triathlon looks tempting (although a "moderately hilly" bike course sounds a wee bit terrifying after experiencing "gently rolling").  Hmmm.

Mt. Vernon Place, Baltimore

We just returned from a mini 2-day vacation to Baltimore, Maryland to visit my parents and to do a little sight-seeing with the kids.  On Thursday night, my parents were kind enough to babysit so Scott and I ate dinner (alone!) in Little Italy and then took in an O's game.  The Orioles are currently working on their worst record ever, so naturally they lost (actually, the opposing pitcher threw a complete game shut-out, ouch) but we were treated to not one, not two, but ejections of three Orioles players AND a fan running around the field for four long minutes.  Four full minutes, as confirmed by the Baltimore Sun newspaper, which commented on the event by saying the Baltimore police "gently corralled" a fan on the field.  It was so hot the police just let the kid run around until he was exhausted, and then slowly walked him away. Actually, I think the kid finally left the field because the home plate umpire took off his mask and yelled at the kid and scared him off the field. 

The highlight of the trip for the kids was a visit to the Port Discovery Museum in Baltimore, which is the Baltimore Children's Museum.  It is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and has all sorts of hands on exhibits, like a convenience store, mystery house, Egyptian maze, water lab, and delicatessen.  By far the favorite exhibit was called "Kids' Works" which is a 3-story urban treehouse and rope maze.  The kids climbed for at least an hour, probably longer.  If you are ever in Baltimore, we highly recommend taking the kids for a visit. 

Caroline and Ben in Rope Maze

The highlight of the trip for Scott was probably the O's game, but a close second was a short visit to Mount Vernon Place, which is four city block monument to George Washington.  I cross-stitched a Mt. Vernon Place picture for my godmother back in high school, and she returned the picture to me when she downsized her house.  We were unpacking some more boxes recently and Scott decided to hang the picture in the kitchen and wanted a family picture at the monument to hang with it.  So, we visited the monument and got the shot. 

Mount Vernon Place

Inherited Cross-Stitch Picture

(I would like to note that I am not 100% sold on this particular style of decorating yet, but it made for an interesting outing)

The highlight of the visit for me was a dinner of delicious, spicy, hot steamed crabs and a chocolate snowball for dessert.  I even got the sticky weird marshmallow on top of the snowball, just for fun.  Yum yum yum.  I know all you Baltimore locals are now jealous.

Sugar Sugar Sugar Sugar

Is anyone else out there bothered that you cannot go anywhere without your kids (or yourself) being offered candy or see giant displays of candy?  While I do love junk food,  I have some small sense of self control.  More importantly, I understand the connection between eating candy and obesity.  My children, particularly 3-year old Ben, do not understand this concept yet. 

Complete a one-hour gymnastics class? Lollipop!
Find the hidden object at the library? Lollipop!
Doing any banking? Lollipop!
Go to the gym? Pretzel rod! (yes, not technically candy)
Grocery checkout line? Full candy display!
Buying office supplies at Stapes? Full candy display and/or lollipop!
Enter any store?  Candy! Chips!

I am really tired of always the "mean" mom that has to say NO NO NO NO NO NO all the time and fruitlessly trying to explain about how eating healthy gives you a healthy body.  Of course Ben doesn't care about being healthy yet, he's 3.  He just wants a lollipop.  We just got back from the LIBRARY where Ben just had a total meltdown about me not letting him have a lollipop.  Candy at the library?  Isn't food in the library against one of the cardinal book rules anyway??  Of course we got the mean library lady glares.  Since Abby was in the middle of checking out her books, the glares went on and on and on.  And, worse, now that Ben knows there are lollipops at the library, I can look forward to this particular temper tantrum each and every time we go to the library for the foreseeable future. Fabulous.

Knock, Knock

Ben has re-discovered the joy of telling knock knock jokes, and is now forcing me to participate in a seemingly endless array knock knock jokes each and every time we get into the car. Unfortunately, Ben has not yet found a sense of humor, so this knock knock phase is getting a little painful.  Here's just a little sample of the drive to the gym today:

Ben:  "Knock Knock"
Mom:  "Who's there?"
Ben: "Tree"
Mom:  "Tree who?"
Ben (laughing hilariously):  "Tree Flower!"
Mom:  "Ben, that's not funny."

Ben: "Knock Knock"
Mom (sighing deeply): "Who's there?"
Ben: "Door"
Mom: "Door who?"
Ben (laughing more hilariously): "Door window!"
Mom: "Seriously, Ben, that's not funny."

Ben: "Knock Knock"
Mom (weeping on the inside): "Who's there?"
Ben: "Insert random noun"
Mom: "Random noun who?"
Ben (hysterical belly laugh): "Random noun, Random noun!"
Mom: "Ben, can I tell you an actual joke now?"

Mom:  "Knock, Knock"
Ben:  "Who's there?"
Mom:  "Who."
Ben:  "Who Who"
Mom:  "Hey, there's an owl in here now."
Ben (side-splitting laughter):  "Mom, that's a FUNNY joke."
(Ben then tells another 20 or so of his version of the knock knock joke)

Please pray that this phase ends before our 3 hour drive to the beach....

Heard at the house today:
Caroline:  "Mom, can you get me a paper towel, I made some milk drips."
Mom:  "Just use a cloth towel, dear."
Caroline (ecstatically):  "Oh, wait!  Here's a paper towel right here on the floor!  Oh boy!  This is going to be a GREAT DAY!"  (This was the happiest I've heard Caroline in two days?!  I guess I should not pick up paper products off the floor more often???)

I seriously do not get what makes these kids tick sometimes...

Recipe: "Fun" Burgers (and Grocery Shopping)

"FUN" Burgers are grilled portabella mushrooms topped with garden fresh tomato, roasted red pepper, fresh mozzarella, and a little pesto sauce served on a whole wheat bun.  These summer burgers are a nice alternative to traditional beef burgers -- filling, juicy, and quite tasty!  I should note that the name "FUN" burger (selected by Abby) is short for "Fungus" burgers, but the full name isn't nearly as appealing for a recipe title is it?

FUN Burgers
(my own creation)

Ingredients:
- Portabella Mushrooms (1/person), stems removed
- Thick slices of garden ripened tomato
- Fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch slices
- Roasted red pepper (we grilled ours, but you could use canned)
- Prepared pesto sauce (or you could use a bunch of basil leaves and a little oil)
- Whole wheat burger buns

1) Fire up the grill or heat up a grill pan.
2) Lightly brush the top of the mushrooms and peppers with olive oil.
3) Put the pepper and mushrooms on the grill (gill side facing coals) for 5-7 minutes.  Flip everything and cook another 5-7 minutes.  When the mushrooms are soft and mushroomy juices are collecting on the top, add a spoonful of pesto sauce into each mushroom top and then add slices of mozzarella and tomato into the tops and let cook for another 2 or 3 minutes to melt the cheese (put the lid on the grill for this step to melt faster).
4) Remove "Fun" burgers from grill; add the red peppers and enjoy! 
5) Try again sometime with other vegetables -- you could add spinach leaves or grilled zucchini or eggplant or whatever vegetables you would like to layer on top of melted mozzarella. 

Onto a totally different topic....grocery shopping has just gotten a whole, whole lot more fun in the greater Malvern area better because yesterday the Cadillac of grocery stores has finally opened its doors. Sunday was the grand opening of our new WEGMANS.  And, even though I knew it would be insanely crowded (and it was), I took the whole family to wander around the store and marvel at its immenseness (and also to try all the delicious free samples).  We snacked our way through the entire store -- trying triple creme bree on some kind of French bread, ultimate chocolate cake, blueberry/cranberry bread, corn pops with raspberry jam, etc., etc.  It is now my very closest and already my most favorite grocery store, and I am ridiculously happy! 

Yes, I do know that it is a wee bit pathetic to get this excited about food shopping.  Yes, I know that the prices are not quite as low as those at Giant when on 'Bonus Buy'.  But, the regular food prices are the same as Giants' and what a glorious difference in attitude towards food. The produce is fresh and featured!  It is shopping where food is celebrated, instead of the regular grocery shopping drudgery. And, in only one more week, Target is opening right next store.  I'm in mom-shopping bliss over here!!!!

Garden Camp

I sent Abby and Caroline off to camp this week -- Garden Camp.  (Yes, I am officially one step closer to qualifying as a "hippie mom", although I still like deodorant and bacon.)  The camp, sponsored by Willistown Township, included arts and crafts, yoga, fairy themes, and loads of time in the Township Garden.  They planted beans and harvested radishes, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and onions.  They came home with watercress spouts that will be ready to eat in a day or two, some really creative and beautiful recycled paper crafts, homemade peppermint tea bags, and bouquets of hand-picked zinnias, which are probably my favorite summer flower.  AND, most importantly, they were both begging me to go back again next year.  Literally B-E-G-G-I-N-G!

This camp had a really small enrollment (15 kids or so), wonderful counselors, and an eye-popping garden.  You should seriously see this garden.  It is incredible!  It's divided into different sections:  rainbow garden (featuring flowers planted in a rainbow), pizza garden (tomatoes, basil, oregano, peppers, onions, etc.), "smelling" garden (fragrant flowers and herbs), wigwam covered with crazy ornamental gourd vines, fairy house, berry patches, and then sections of just regular vegetables (beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.).  And, it has a covered giant sandbox -- with tiny buried treasures too.  This garden is just as nice and creative as those at Longwood, but planted and maintained completely by volunteers!  I will stop gushing now, but it is open to the public on Sunday afternoons (Spring Road, Willistown Township).

Caroline and Counselor Alexis near Rainbow Garden

I had a really hard time picking out which summer camps to send the girls.  I went to a summer camp fair in February or March and picked up an entire bag of literature of possibilities.  I figured we could send Caroline to one week of camp and for Abby two weeks. There are camps for every theme -- sports, dancing, acting, arts and crafts, girl scouts, outdoorsy things, sailing, swimming, gymnastics, etc., and the camps range in price from sort of reasonable to astronomical.  So, I was shooting for affordable but interesting.  Since this was a Township Camp, the price was definitely reasonable, and I'm very glad the girls enjoyed it so much!  Also, they learned a little more about where their food comes from, and I bet they don't even realize it.

Abby and Ben sitting in Wigwam

Just Dance

While I do like technological gizmos, I definitely do not have my finger on the pulse of the latest and greatest electronic stuff.  I think I lag about two or three years behind, but it might be even longer.  While I certainly appreciate all the cool things out there, I really hate reading those 100-page long instruction manuals.  "Simultaneously press buttons A-B-and-Reset to set the Time."  Also, I can't figure out how other people find out that new technology is out there to begin with.  Magazines??  Word of mouth??  Is there some "Electronic Gizmos for the Technology-Impaired" blog out there?  (If so, please leave the link in the Comments section or send me an email, OK? An intervention would be fine too.)

In a move that shocked the rest of the family, I had been hankering a Wii game system after seeing the kids play it at the neighbors house.  A video game system that you can actually exercise with and play traditional video games?  How cool is that!   The Wii went on sale at Target a few weeks ago, so I broke down and bought one -- and two games.  Then, I hid all the boxes in the closet until I could read the manual and figure it out since I thought that setting up the system would require some elaborate combination of wires and switches, like on the Atari growing up. 

Finally, when the 100 degree weather hit last week, Scott set up the Wii very quickly (much easier than I anticipated) and the kids had a blast.  Last night, we had a little family dance tournament with the game Just Dance.  For the other technology-impaired folks out there, you hold the remote in one hand, dance along with the game following the moves on the screen, getting points if you do the moves correctly.  The girls are fabulous at the game from playing it at Ruby's house (also, it's hilarious to watch all the accurate hip movements).  I tried it myself.  First, I have discovered a new skill and was able to even impress Abby with my dancing prowess.  Second, holy cow.  I broke into an actual sweat after dancing to the first song.  Scott did too.  The girls danced to five or six songs in a row!  It really is great exercise -- and a whole lot of fun!  So, thumbs up for the Wii!!

Fair Time!

Last night we enjoyed the much anticipated highlight of the summer, the Malvern Fire Company FAIR!  The kids have kept super close tabs on the progress of the fair.  "Mom, there is a tent on the fairgrounds."  "Mom, the porta-potties have been delivered to the fairgrounds."  "Mom, there are traffic cones lining the fairgrounds."  Finally, on Sunday morning, the kids insisted on walking over to the fairgrounds (in their pajamas) to see if the trucks carrying the rides had arrived during the night.  They had!  Bliss!!

Tuesday night was opening night, and we arrived promptly at 5:59pm, purchased each child a fair bracelets ($18 each, with coupon -- ouch!)  and were riding by 6:01pm.  I will say that we definitely got our money's worth out of the ride bracelets.

Ben enjoyed the tame rides:  kiddie motorcycles, kiddie boats, kiddie planes, dragon "roller coaster", carousel, and kiddie cars.  Caroline spent most of her time on the swings this year -- always selecting the pink seats -- and now has a special relationship with the fair operator who has nicknamed her "Princess".  Fortunately, Caroline was old enough to go on the swings herself this year.  I had to go on the swings with her last year, and since ride operators gave us an extra, extra long ride, I spent the the rest of the evening feeling green.  Caroline also rode the Ferris wheel with the 1st grade boy down the street, which was adorable.  Sadly, all my fair photos are trapped inside my camera.  My camera has broken down, mid-fair, and I can't load up my photos until I figure out what is wrong.

Abby definitely had the most fun at the fair.  She has finally reached the coveted 48" mark (at least according to the highly accurate ride markers), so she went on some of the big kid rides, including the pirate ship (4x in a row) and the GRAVITRON ride (the one where the bottom falls out) 7x in a row.  I could just throw up thinking about it, but she spun herself into fair bliss last night.  Top it off with some cotton candy and winning a large fair prize (on her 1 game try), I think this fair will make it into her long-term favorite summer memories.

I'll share the fair photos as soon as the camera is feeling better...or I find my card reader.....   

Sisters

Having only one brother, I'm always fascinated by the 'sisters' dynamic between my two daughters.  They are the best of friends, the worst of enemies, and everything in between -- often within the span of only five minutes.

Sharing a Moment as Best Friends

Lacrosse Rating Day!

A few months ago, I mentioned that I was going to be trying for my district lacrosse rating, which means I would be eligible to do Division III NCAA games (college games) in additional to my current high school schedule.  I was originally supposed to be rated in mid-June, but there were too many candidates for that tournament, so my rating session was moved to mid-July.  So, today was the big day.  Rating Day. 

I won't lie, I was completely nervous.  I hadn't picked up my whistle since playoffs in mid-May, so I was worried I'd be rusty.  I reviewed the rulebook, but knowing the rules is different than seeing them in a game, running at full speed, while having a team of your peers scrutinizing your every move, with pen in hand.  I also hadn't previously worked with many of the officials that would be rating me, which is both good and bad.  Good from the perspective that I'd be getting some unbiased feedback, bad in that I'm on good terms with pretty much all the officials I've worked with and it's always nice to have that kind of cordial relationship when getting evaluated.

So, this morning off I went to the Upper Atlantic Lacrosse Tournament, a giant bundle of nerves.  I noticed that the sky was overcast and knew that it might rain today, but I didn't think much of it.  Well, I should have looked at the forecast.  About 25 minutes into the 8am game, the heavens opened and the rest of the game was played in a torrential downpour.  I've never been outside in rain like this -- there were at least 2 inches of standing water on the entire surface of the turf field, in the span of about 10 minutes.  C-R-A-Z-Y rain.  Some of the girls gave up playing and started piling up their lacrosse sticks to build an ark, just in case.

Then there was lightening and all the players and officials waited inside for 2 hours to get back onto the fields (sitting inside an air conditioned building with dripping clothes....brrr)....so my nerves continued.  After the tournament scheduled was juggled and the rain went from torrential to just regular rain, the games continued.  Aside from completely wiping out at one point (kersplat on the turf -- yes, I even splashed), I think things went pretty well.  I got the requisite list of things I could do better, some amazingly helpful advice about positioning from an official from upstate New York, and a few nice complements too.  Now -- the waiting begins.  The evaluators will get together and decide if that coveted District Rating is mine or not.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.....

Best Cupcakes EVER

I will readily admit that I have a sweet tooth, although I no longer tolerate the intense sugar in the beloved Nerds, Sweet Tarts, Razzles, or Pixie Sticks of my youth.  Now my tastes are firmly entrenched on the side of dark chocolate or rich vanilla.  Or those flavors combined, like in this beauty (oh yes, rich vanilla buttercream is hiding under that ganache):

Come to Mama!

Photo credit: Cupcakes Gourmet website

Is your mouth watering?

This is a mini-cupcake from Cupcakes Gourmet, a local bakery in my area (two store locations, Malvern and Wayne, PA).  But wait!  They ship nationally.  And for only (gulp) $24.99 you too can have 12 of the very best mini-cupcakes on the planet (6 flavors to choose from).  Fortunately, I can just roll into the bakery and buy one (ish) at a time from the 12 or so flavors at the shop, like Classic Vanilla, Triple Chocolate, Cafe Mocha, and Lovely Lemon. 

Scott and I knew these were amazing, but then I took my friend Heather with me for a sample last week.  She loved them too AND stopped by on her way home to get more the very next day. If you are lucky enough to live nearby, they are a wonderful treat -- and the mini-cupcakes ($1.50/cupcake) are the perfect size for kids.

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

We've only taken the kids to see three movies in the theaters so far:  Curious George, Charlotte's Web, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Caroline also went to see Princess and the Frog with Grandma. We've seen lots of movies at home, but for a while one or more of the kids were just too young to go to the theater, and then we were waiting a little longer to attend until Ben was less squirmy.  (At Charlotte's Web, I spent most of the movie in the lobby on the arcade race car with Ben.).  Also, there just aren't that many "G" rated films in the theaters. 

So, imagine everyone's surprise when we announced we were heading to the movies to see Toy Story 3  yesterday.  After the squeals of delight, Abby and Caroline started quoting something about the movie that Barbie and Ken say on the Barbie.com website.  That is some thorough marketing!

Ben's review:  "I loved it.  It had two bad guys in it, but I wasn't scared of the bad guys." Later, he declared that he wants to be Buzz Lightyear.  "I liked all of the parts of that movie."  (I'll note that Ben did not move for the entire duration of the movie.)

Caroline's review:  "It was great.  But, I thought the bad guys were scary.  I don't want the bad guys to be in the show. They were really mean."

Abby's review:  "I hated it.  Because I didn't like the scheme (the plot) of the movie.  It was really mean." (Abby was scared enough to sit on my lap for the second half of the movie.)

Mom's review:  I enjoyed parts of the movie and there were a few cute jokes. The animation was incredible, and the end of the movie was poignant, and a fitting end for the series.  But, I was concerned about how some of the content would affect the kids, particularly since the movie was "G" rated.  At one point, all of the beloved toy characters were at the landfill on a conveyor belt heading toward an incinerator.  Another toy had the chance to stop belt, but chose to let the toys get burned.  So, all the toys were holding hands and thought they were going to be melted. (This is a Disney movie, so you can guess how things ended).  However, that's a pretty heavy plot for little kids.  Also, a strawberry scented teddy bear acted nicely at first but then his band of mean toys locked up all the good toys and did other mean things to them while at a daycare.  The worst part for me, though, completely went over the heads of the kids.  The overall premise of the movie was that Andy was now 17 and headed off to college and his mom wanted him to clean out his room.  So, the total sap that I am, spent the end of the movie (and the next thirty minutes afterwards), crying about our children leaving us for college and no longer playing with the toys that I complain about all the time.  Sooo.....I'll give Toy Story 3 a mixed review.  We had a good time, but maybe not worth the $42 (yikes!!!!) that it cost to GO TO A MATINEE.

Too Much Fun to Blog

Just when I was beginning to feel like the summer vacation was beginning resemble the movie Groundhog Day a little too closely, we shattered through the daily repetition by exploring Chester and Montgomery Counties over the past week -- and even got to share some of it with my dear friend Heather and her two children who stayed with us.  We definitely had a lot of fun moments together, but I'm hoping we didn't give them Caroline's stomach virus as a parting gift.  Thanks for coming though...I promise we'll do a better job screening for infectious diseases next time! 

Some of the highlights over the past week:

1) Elmwood Park Zoo -- On the gorgeous day that it was only 75 degrees and low humidity we headed over to our closest zoo.  Many of the animals were actually playing since it was not ridiculously hot.  An over abundance of black vultures was present like last time, although the most I counted was down to 17 (unlike the 50+ I spotted previously).  Still, the vultures were hard to miss.  At one point we saw the river otter stand on its hind legs and swat at some of the vultures perched over its enclosure.  One highlight: the zoo's newly open enclosed butterfly garden.

2) Longwood Gardens -- Scott and I took the kids to Longwood on Friday afternoon to marvel over the summer flowers. Although we were too early to drool over their monster vegetable garden (late August), the water lilies were in peak form.

Water Platters

3) Marsh Creek State Park -- Last but not least, we visited Marsh Creek on the July 4th to try our hand at boating with the kids.  We rented a small row boat (with trawling motor included) and a fishing rod to try our luck on the Lake.  We had a blast, although the fishing would be better classified as feeding the fish with live worms.  We arrived early to the lake, which was a good thing since by the time we were headed out the park was filled to capacity (cars were queued waiting to enter).  Although sometimes I am not a fan of huge crowds, this particular crowd made the day feel festive to me.  We picnicked at a children's playground where the air was filled with salsa music and the smell of grilled meats.  We shared the swings with a family whose mom was wearing beautiful sari.  As I looked around the park, I noticed that we were a part of a  wonderful melting pot of nationalities celebrating the 4th.  It was a wonderful tribute to America!

Cap'n Abby

On the Water

Feeding the Fish