34/365: Coffee Talk

Today I met with an old friend to talk about a business opportunity for which I am very excited.  I will not share too much right now, but let's just say that I feel empowered today!

Festival of Trees

Last night we gathered with a few of our friends and went to The Festival of Trees held at Waukewan Golf Course in Meredith.  First, though, we went out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Giuseppe's!  I love the simple Italian fare, live entertainment and the Stella on tap.  Damien would not let me take a photo of my Stella.  He's so lame!

The event was advertised as a "spectacular festival of trees" at the golf course.  My friend Lauren and I assumed there would be trees all along the course.  There would also be a children's reading of "A Wish to be a Christmas Tree" inside the heated barn.  We bundled the kids for a cold evening outdoors.  We were surprised to discover that the whole event, including the trees, was indoors.  The trees were still beautiful, but not quite the magical adventure we anticipated.

The story, "A Wish to be a Christmas Tree" was cute.  I think I want to buy it!  They had a girl dressed up as an evergreen tree, and it took Olivia through most of the book before she realized the tree had someone inside it.  The kids got a giant christmas tree cookie to take home.  They are very excited to eat it after lunch today!

I'm Really Bad at Bowling

Really, really bad.  I bowled a 39.  It's shameful.  But the kids had so much fun!!

OK, so I will admit, we had our fair share of grumpy moments, but I will still look back on this day and only remember the good parts!

Sunday Citar - An Apple A Day

"Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another, 'What? You too!  I thought I was the only one!" ~ C. S. Lewis

My new friend Karen and I took our kids out for a day of misadventures yesterday.  When I first met Karen I told my husband, "I really like her.  We are a lot alike."  My husband responded, "What, so you are both crazy?"  Yup, in a nutshell, that's pretty much what draws Karen and I to each other.

Apple begins with A, or so Cameron tells me.  He's a kindergartener now, so he knows these things.  My children think Ricco is pretty awesome, and I think the feelings are mutual.  It's another friendship in bloom!

I am looking forward to more misadventures with our new friends!

Visit Tabitha at Fresh Mommy for more

Where Fantasy Lives

Oh Storyland!  How could we let a fall go by without visiting this beloved place?  The Humpty Dumpty wall, the Tea Cups, the Old Lady who lives in a shoe...

Look at the smiles on these kids faces.  From the moment we walked in to the moment we left all four of these kids were grinning ear-to-ear.  In past years we have not made the trip with our good friends the Lynch's.  I think we all agreed that having buddies there definitely made the day go smoother for everyone.  Kids, moms and dads.  We all had a buddy and we were all happy!



Our first stop is always a photo on the Humpty Dumpty wall.  I need to print these out from the past five years and frame them.  

Exiting the Old Lady's shoe.  Wouldn't it be fantastic to live in a shoe?  Well, maybe not Olivia's shoe.  Her feet really stink.  Then again, so do mine.  Maybe shoe dwelling is not such a good idea...

   

One of the many places Olivia made me stop to take her photo.  I just love the head tilt!

Benji on the antique German carousel.




Dads and kiddos on the Bamboo Chute.  Mia had a bad experience, but everyone came out alright.  I don't think it did any permanent damage.


Mia with Mother Goose.  Love this picture, so sweet.





And we always end with a family photo in the Story Land frame.  It was a very cold day in Glen, NH.  We were all looking forward to the car ride home with the heaters on.  We ended our wonderful day with our wonderful friends having dinner with their family.  Ah, the good old days!  So glad they are back!

Local Harvest, Local Friends

Look at these kids.  So happy just to be with each other.  Cameron and Mia have been friends since they were just a few weeks old, and now they are both almost 6!  

They really are besties and it is just so cute!

We went to Beans and Greens this past weekend with the Lynch family.  Kim and I have also been friends since Cameron and Mia were just a few weeks old.  

Kim brought their new member of the family, Charlie.  He's a sweetie!

Besties.  Their friendship is so natural and caring and it just makes me happy to watch them together!

Some of the local harvest at Beans and Greens.  I love local carrots.  They are short and stubby and look nothing like the carrots you buy in the grocery store.  Then there were these orange tomatoes and the color just struck me.

The famous Beans and Greens tee"pea".  I want one of these in my backyard.  It's awesome.  Fun to play in and enjoy a snack right off the vine.  

This guys shirt made me smile.  My dad has one.  

Happy couple.  This photo would be great if Tom and Damien could have stopped talking about "Machete" for five seconds, ha ha!

We had a fun day with our friends.  Looking forward to a fun-filled Fall.  Fairs, hikes, corn mazes, pumpkins, wool sweaters, cool breezes... I love Fall!

You N Me

There is this place I used to go as a child.  As a child I remember it being "really far away" and preparing for this place was like waiting for Santa Claus to arrive.  I absolutely loved going.  "A spiritual place in the hills... Camp Wanakee."  It's funny how "far away" things seem when you are a child.  A one hour drive seemed live forever!  Now, though, Wanakee is practically in my back yard.

My Mom used to take me to Wanakee for women's retreats with our church.  My friend Michelle used to go with her Mom.  Later, as a teenager, I was a camper at Christian Adventure.  21 years passed since my last time as a camper at Wanakee.  21 years too long.

I recently had the opportunity to go back to Wanakee.  Not as a camper, but as a director of a camp.  Crazy, I know!  People kept asking me what I was thinking when I said yes.  Apparently I wasn't thinking.  It was blind faith that lead me to accept, and blind faith that brought me there.

When I arrived at camp on the Saturday before campers were due, I was nervous, a little scared and very unsure of myself.  I started to doubt my ability to lead a camp.  I actually cried my first night.  I was missing my husband and my kids and I so badly needed a snuggle.  The camp I was to be directing is called "You N Me" for children ages 6-7 and a grown-up of their choice.  I had made the decision not to bring Cameron because I wanted to focus my energy on directing and making sure the rest of the campers had a good time.  Well, Saturday night I called my parents and asked if they could bring Cameron to me.

So, I cried the first night, but once Cameron arrived and I met the counselor who would be helping me, everything seemed to fall into place.  I had a wonderful group of children and parents.  My friend's Mom was one of my campers, my "2nd" Mom who I used to go to camp with.  My group was filled with experienced campers who helped me out a lot.  Some took leadership roles when necessary, some just offered reassurance that I was doing a fine job.  Yes, I cried the first night, but I also cried the day I had to go home.  That always happens to me at Wanakee.

I will not let 21 years go by without visiting again.  Actually, I'm pretty sure I will visit again before 21 days go by!

Cooking Out

Putting the animals to bed

OK, trying to put the animals to bed...

The Grandfather Tree on Monkey Island

Hula Hooping was a favorite pastime.

Closing campfire