How to transition

Just what is the best way to transition from a month-long vacation in a different time zone (and country) and get back into your daily normal routine?

I'm pretty sure that the obscenely late hours and obsessive organization is not the way to go. I have cleaned out closets, drawers, cabinets, the laundry room, the bathroom-you name it. Maybe I am just getting prepared for the many boxes o' stuff that I just had to buy and ship here.

I think the other obsession of playing online computer games is detrimental as well. What gives?

Enrolling several kids in a week-long adventure camp (learning about China/Olympics and animals!!) will ensure early morning rising next week and a better "routine"-don't ya think?

I will let you know.

If I am still functioning, that is.

There's nothing like a wedding

A wedding is a good excuse to get together with family. We attended a beautiful ceremony and reception for one of Allen's family members while in Indiana. The church was packed, and the queues at the reception were endless. I guess anybody who was anybody was there! There was a chocolate fountain, strawberries, an ice sculpture, and fancy hors d ' oeuvres.

Ashlyn and I had to see a close-up of the cake. Isn't it beautiful? It was yummy, too. Wedding cake ranks at the top of my list of desserts. We didn't taste the grooms cake. I am not sure if they even cut the cake, but it looked amazing!
Nicholas stole an opportunity to sit with grandma. It's aways good to have an extra pair of hands when you are at a formal affair with the kids, right? I completely agree.
The hotel had a very nice view of the Ohio River. The boys kept running around outside, and I kept wondering if there was a trail that they would find and tumble down by the river. Hmmmm....better not to know.

A rare family shot with the river behind us.

Sis-tahs! Does it get any better?!?
I'm not quite sure what Ryan was doing in this picture. The disheveled shirt and face would indicate it was toward the end of the evening......
It was a great opportunity to see quite a bit of people at the same time, thus saving us lots of running around visiting so many people. The kids were reasonable well behaved, and it is always fun to get dressed up! I think if I had planned ahead and brought some more comfortable shoes, it would have been a perfect evening. Somehow, the heels put a damper on the evening, and some blisters, too! Beauty does have a price.

Summer fun

How do you keep cool on a hot day? The water play area at the park! I think this is a fantastic idea. The kids just had to push a button to re-start the water since it only worked in 10-minute increments (to avoid wasting water).

Water flowed from pipes and showers-it poured from buckets -it spray in streams across the play area-they could even spray it at each other. They had a blast!

The best part is that it was free! We discovered it when we played at the park in a small town in Texas.

We weren't really prepared to play in the water that day, but eh. The kids were soaked, and complained when they had to ride home in their underwear. I think the intense heat dried them off, and then a coke float at Sonic eased their complaints.

That is what summer is all about.

By the way, it is only 54 degrees here this morning in Germany. Maybe this will be the only water experience we have this month!

Aren't they luv-ely?

My girls had such a great time with their cousins during our visit. They were inseparable! They were always together chatting, painting nails, playing SIMS, doing hair, dancing, and other girlie stuff. They even dressed up in Japanese kimonos and had a picture session.

I wish that we had more time to spend with them, but time was against us! We hope that they can come and visit us next year!

We made it

Just so you know-we made it home! The trip home was pretty uneventful, except we sat on the tarmac in Houston in a hot 747 for over three hours while the hydraulic system was being repaired. Comforting, eh? I don't know why they didn't cool the back of the plane, or why the flight attendants didn't take it upon themselves to serve some drinks while we waited-arghh!!! I was joking with the kids that those in First Class on the upper level were probably getting ice cream sundaes while we waited (remember that Seinfeld episode?). It was probably true.

Sorry about the lack of posting. It was hard to visit everyone and then finagle some time on their computer, too. Pedicures, shopping, museum visiting, seeing the Texas State Capital and my fav UT campus, eating, hugging friends and family, playing, go-carting, feeding mosquitoes, miniature golfing, seeing the county fair, playing outside, mailing boxes to ourselves, swimming and sleeping took a priority this past month. We also spent quite a bit of time on the road driving around everywhere! We clocked over 2000 miles on that van rental!!!

Allen is upstairs right now uploading pictures. What a guy!

Updates are coming. Promise.

Jet lag hit me earlier....maybe it will come back and I can sleep well tonight. See ya soon.

This is crazy

I know this is crazy, but even at my mother's house I find myself wiping off the counters and putting the last bit of dishes away before I retire for the night. Am I crazy or what? I am supposed to be on vacation!?! To honor the tradition of "vacation", I declare that I will sleep in until noon, not touch the laundry, read all day and enjoy that fabulous orange cream slush from Sonic that I tried the other day all.by.myself. Yum.

Oh yeah, I forgot. I have kids.

FYI. Sonic has a website with great drink ideas. But, do not, repeat DO NOT, look at the nutritional information. I just had a peak and about died when I saw how the dreamy, creamy slush drink racks up on carbs, fat, sugar, and calories.

I'm so, so glad I don't live near one all of the time.

Howdy from Texas

Hello to all-this is just a quick post to let you know that we made the 1000+ mile trip from Indiana to Texas! We stayed in Tulsa along the way and had a great trip. Thank God for dvd players and colored goldfish crackers! We will be celebrating Independence Day here in the dry Texas heat, and then we will go to visit my dad and my brother and his family.

The kids spent the day at the water park with Poppy and DH. I think they are going to an amusement park tomorrow, and we are planning to make some July 4th shaped cookies for a cookout on Friday.

I will try and find the cable and post some pictures. Have a happy and safe holiday!